Haochen Zhang Steps in for Lang Lang with China NCPA Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall today announced that pianist Lang Lang must regrettably withdraw from his concert with conductor Lü Jia and the China NCPA Orchestra on Monday, October 30 at 8:00 p.m. as he continues to recover from an inflammation in his left arm. Under his doctor's recommendation, he will continue to take time to rest his arm and allow it to heal.

27-year-old pianist Haochen Zhang - a Gold Medal and First Prize winner at the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and a 2017 recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant - has agreed to step in to perform the previously announced Yellow River Concerto by Yin Chengzong / Chu Wanghua. Full program information for the October 30 concert is listed below.

Lang Lang is scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall's Opening Night Gala Concert on Wednesday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra. As recently announced, the program includes a two-piano arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in which he will collaborate with legendary jazz artist Chick Corea. Also performing side-by-side with Lang Lang in the Gershwin is 14-year-old American pianist Maxim Lando, an accomplished alumnus of the Lang Lang Foundation's Young Scholars Program. The festive program also features Leonard Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite and his Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, performed as part of the global centenary celebration of Bernstein's birth.

Since his Gold Medal win at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, 27-year-old Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with his unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity. In 2017, Mr. Zhang received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, which recognizes the potential for a major career in music.

He has appeared at many of the world's leading festivals and concert venues, and following his performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 at the BBC Proms with Long Yu and the China Philharmonic Orchestra he received rave reviews. A popular guest soloist for many orchestras in his native China, Mr. Zhang made his debut in Munich with the Munich Philharmonic and the late maestro Lorin Maazel in April 2013, preceding their sold-out tour. Mr. Zhang has also toured in China with the Sydney Symphony and David Robertson, and to Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai with the NDR Hamburg and Thomas Hengelbrock. Following a performance in December 2014 with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in Beijing, Maestro Gergiev immediately invited him to his Easter Festival in Moscow, Russia.

In past seasons, Mr. Zhang has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, London Symphony, Japan Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras. In recital he has performed at Spivey Hall, La Jolla Music Society, Celebrity Series of Boston, CU Artist Series, Cliburn Concerts, Krannert Center, Wolf Trap Discovery Series, Lied Center of Kansas and UVM Lane Series, among others. International tours have taken him to cities including Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Dresden, Rome, Tivoli, Verbier, Montpellier, Helsingborg, Bogotá, and Belgrade. Mr. Zhang is also an avid chamber musician, collaborating with colleagues such as the Shanghai String Quartet and violinist Benjamin Beilman, and is frequently invited to participate in chamber music festivals in the US.

Haochen Zhang is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied under Gary Graffman. He was previously trained at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Shenzhen Arts School, where he was admitted at the age of 11 to study with Professor Dan Zhaoyi.

Program Information:
Monday, October 30, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
China NCPA Orchestra
Lü Jia, Chief Conductor
Haochen Zhang, Piano

QIGANG CHEN Itinéraire d'une illusion (US Premiere, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
YIN CHENGZONG / CHU WANGHUA Yellow River Concerto
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43

Tickets, priced at $30-$99, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Photo Credit: Benjamin Ealovega