Life and Leisure

Lang Lang's US tour to benefit Haitian children

By WU CHONG CHINA DAILY
Updated: 2010-03-24 00:00

NEW YORK — World-famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang kicked off a 21-city tour in the United States with his mentor, legendary conductor Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra to celebrate their decade-long collaboration.

The opening concert in New York on March 21 was a benefit event to support the children of earthquake-hit Haiti.

“Two years ago my country was shaken by a terrible earthquake.  I was shocked to see my people devastated. Two months ago another horrific earthquake struck Haiti.  It brought back extremely painful memories.” Lang told the audience at Carnegie Hall.

“That’s why we are here tonight.  To give hope,” he said.

 All ticket receipts and donations from participating artists and organizations were donated to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the children in Haiti. Lang Lang, a UNICEF ambassador, announced on the night of the concert that $100,000 would be sent to UNICEF.

Two days before the benefit concert, Lang Lang gave a free performance at an Apple store on Broadway in Manhattan to promote his performance of Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat major, Heroic, which is now on sale on iTunes. All sale proceeds from iTunes will also be donated to UNICEF for Haitian children.

Right before his Apple store performance, Lang was invited to Savannah, Georgia to open the Savannah Music Festival, which will last from March 18 to April 3. Tickets were sold out and the enthusiastic audience was rewarded with an encore.

Lang’s concert tour will include  stops in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Orlando, Florida, and Chicago, Illinois. It is scheduled to conclude in San Francisco, California, on April 19.