Lang Lang Returns To Pacific Symphony This Month

Before Pacific Symphony's 2022-23 season officially opens on Thurs., Sept. 22, the orchestra offers a special concert with the internationally celebrated pianist Lang Lang on Sun., Sept. 18.

St.Clair commented on the program,

"For our special pre-season concert, we welcome back our dear friend Lang Lang. He is a brilliant artist, and he performs Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 on an all-French program that features music of Satie and Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition." He continued, "For this concert, we will be projecting stunning new visuals for Mussorgsky's virtuoso showpiece on the large screen above the orchestra in a unique collaboration with our gifted colleagues at Orange County Museum of Art." The Museum is scheduled for the grand opening with a 24-hour celebration on Sat., Oct. 8 starting at 5 p.m. (More information at OCMA.art)

Segerstrom Foundation is the concert sponsor and Charlie and Ling Zhang are the artist sponsor. Corporate sponsors are Lugano and East West Bank. A few tickets still remain for the Lang Lang Returns concert, starting from $70. Doors open at 2 p.m. and the concert begins at 3 p.m. There is no Preview Talk before this concert. For ticket availability, call Pacific Symphony's Patron Services at (714) 755-5799, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or go online to PacificSymphony.org.

Pacific Symphony's 44th season in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts officially opens with the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series on Sept. 22 with "Beethoven & Boléro." More information at PacificSymphony.org.

A globally celebrated piano virtuoso, Lang Lang has sold millions of albums around the world, topping classical charts and achieving simultaneous mainstream success. In 2007, he was nominated for a Grammy Award, becoming the first Chinese artist in the "Best Instrumental Soloist" category, and he was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine. During the past decade Lang Lang has performed for music fans, world leaders, monarchs, and dignitaries including President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, and Queen Elizabeth II. He has given sold-out performances at concert halls around the globe, with all the world's top orchestras and conductors. Lang Lang has reached televised audiences of billions, performing at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. His performances at the Grammy's with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock as well as his 2020 rendition of "I Sing the Body Electric" were hailed by millions of viewers. Lang Lang also took part in One World: Together At Home, which was broadcast on major television networks and streamed online on multiple global platforms watched by billions of viewers.

The scale of Lang Lang's musical achievements is mirrored by an unrelenting commitment to charitable causes, most notably through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation and Keys of Inspiration. He was designated in 2013 as a Messenger of Peace by the Secretary General of the United Nations, focusing on global education. He has inspired 40 million children to learn the piano and developed hugely successful educational programs. He has also opened his own music schools, Lang Lang Music World in Shenzhen, as well as Lang Lang Art World in Hangzhou. Everything Lang Lang does is underpinned by his belief that "music makes life better-it heals, unites and inspires, and it makes us better people."