Lang Lang And Friends Gala 2022
After a four year absence, Lang Lang and his wife Gina Alice hosted the Lang Lang International Music Foundation Gala Concert in New York City.
Lang Lang performed along with Disney’s Encanto, Mauro Castillo, singing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and with 20 Young Scholars from the foundation. The surprise of the night was when Wyclef Jean, rapper, producer, and philanthropist took to the piano to wish Lang Lang a Happy Birthday offering an emotional tribute to protecting our children.
The late Shirley Young was honored with the Lifetime Philanthropy Award, presented by Barbara Tober. The Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s First Annual Teacher of the Year Award was presented at the Gala to Davis Cahill of Jefferson Elementary School, in Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina.
The big news from the night was $1.3 million was raised from gala donors to fund foundation global education initiatives.
Founded in 2008 by Lang Lang, the Lang Lang International Music Foundation® (LLIMF) strives to educate, inspire, and motivate the next generation of music lovers and performers. Their unique programs encourage music performance at all levels as a means of social and emotional development for today’s youth. By igniting a child’s passion for music, the foundation is helping children worldwide aim for a better future.
Programs and Global Expansion
The foundation has successfully developed music education programs benefiting children across the world including Keys of Inspiration®, 101 Pianists®, Young Scholars® and Play It Forward®.
Keys of Inspiration® (KOI) is one of the most influential programs of the foundation. This strategic program weaves rigorous, keyboard-centric, musical instruction into selected public schools’ mandatory curriculum–integrating group piano classes for grades 2-5, twice a week. KOI piano lab provides students of all backgrounds with a safe, creative outlet in school and gives them a chance to build self-confidence, develop a drive for excellence and a sense of achievement. “At LLIMF, we believe that all children should have access to music education, regardless of their background.”
Lang Lang once said. In China, as of this September, KOI piano labs can be found in 104 schools in 24 provinces, and almost 110K students have received music education through KOI program. The foundation is now in the early stages of bringing KOI programs to public schools in Europe. The Keys Of Inspiration program is also now being implemented in the UK.
With 101 Pianists®, the foundation brings together 100 young piano students from one city for a unique social music performance with Lang Lang. This inspiring celebration of music, recognizes the passion and talent of young musicians. To date, this program has inspired over 15 cities worldwide.
In China, the foundation is working with the East China Normal University on a project exploring the KOI piano learning method to help alleviate symptoms of children with an autism spectrum disorder. A team from Fu Dan University is conducting research on the positive impacts of music classrooms on students participating in the KOI program.
LLIMF recently entered Europe penning partnerships with charities in order to bring musical inspiration and experiences to children and young people going through unimaginably difficult times.
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Among over 300 guests were Lang Lang International Music Foundation® Board members Christy Cressy, David Hsieh, David Hryck, Joseph Rallo, Elizabeth Segerstrom, and Kyle Wool. Among the Lang Lang International Music Foundations celebrity supporters were Kelly Bensimon, Candace Bushnell, Mauro Castillo, Kelly Cutrone, artist Steven Ladd. Among the foundation’s guests were Afsaneh Akhtari, Janna Bullock, Amanda and Carter Burch, Angela Chen, Joan Hardy Clark, Judith Anne Corrente and Wym Kooyer, Laurie Cumbo, Nathanael Hausmann, Joanna Fisher, Chloe Flower, Carole Guest, Michele Gerber Klein, Ellie Manko, Sherrie Mu, Liane Pei, Lydia and David Sarfati, Jean Shafiroff, Daisy Soros, Vivienne Tam, and Victoria Wyman.
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The guests held glow sticks in the air while Lang Lang and his wife Gina Alice performed a romantic rendition of “When You Wish Upon a Star”.
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Wyclef Jean gave an impromptu birthday performance of Maria Maria for his friend Lang Lang – who celebrated a 40th birthday which was three months ago, “I could not be with you then, so let’s do it now”. It was only one of the high notes of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation “Lang Lang and Friends Gala” this week in New York CIty, the first since the pandemic.
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