New York (Top40 Charts/ Columbia Artists Management) - On Sunday, March 21st at 8:30 p.m., three generations of classical artists - acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, legendary conductor Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra - come together at Carnegie Hall for a benefit concert aiding UNICEF in their efforts to bring relief to the children surviving the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Eschenbach and Lang Lang had scheduled a 21 city North American tour celebrating their decade-long artistic collaboration, but when the devastating news of the earthquake broke, the artists felt compelled to bring their concert to New York for one night to support UNICEF's efforts in Haiti.
The event is sponsored, in part, by Montblanc, who has been a supporter of UNICEF since 2004 and with its current initiative, "Signature for Good," has committed itself to a minimum of 1.5 million US dollars to support UNICEF.
Eschenbach and Lang Lang's extraordinary collaboration, which has yielded a critically acclaimed recording and over a dozen international concerts, began when the conductor invited the pianist to step in for an ailing soloist at The Ravinia Festival. Lang Lang's performance that evening launched his reputation as world-class pianist as well as his decade-long artistic friendship with Eschenbach. In deciding just how to celebrate this unique collaboration, Lang Lang and Eschenbach immediately looked to the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Founded by the great American conductor, artistic mentor and patron, Leonard Bernstein in 1987, the ensemble makes its long awaited New York debut. Embodying the spirit of collaboration between bright young classical musicians and their mentors, Bernstein envisioned the Orchestral Academy as a center for training young orchestral musicians of the highest caliber.Today, the Orchestral Academy is at the core of the educational mission of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, annually assembling an international youth orchestra by vetting the finest young student-musicians from around the world.
Participating artists have donated their fees for the evening to UNICEF, United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF's efforts to assist with life-saving and recovery operations in Haiti is focusing on providing clean water and sanitation, therapeutic food for infants and small children, medical supplies and temporary shelter and protection, particularly for children who are separated from their parents or caregivers. Children make up some 50 per cent of the Haitian population.
"I have served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for six years," says Lang Lang," so it seemed only fitting that an evening that puts young artists in the spotlight also benefit an organization that seeks to improve the lives and futures of the children in need. UNICEF not only helps the children during this crisis, but it also invests in their futures long after the rescue missions and emergency relief have moved on.The lives of these Haitian children have changed forever.UNICEF can provide the children with hope for a brighter future."
"This city and celebrated hall are so closely associated with Leonard Bernstein, who I invited to conduct the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra its in inaugural season, the occasion seems more like a long-overdue homecoming of sorts than a debut. In 1972, Bernstein wrote the foreword for UNICEF's first book of world music for children because he understood that music transforms children's lives around the world.With this benefit, we hope that we can do just that for the children of Haiti."
ABOUT LANG LANG
Heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by the New York Times, 27-year-old Lang Lang has played sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world and is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and the top American orchestras. Lang Lang began playing piano at the age of 3; by the age of 5 he had won the Shenyang competition and had given his first public recital. After entering Beijing's Central Music Conservatory at age 9, he won first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians Competition and played the complete 24 Chopin ?a^tudes at the Beijing Concert Hall at age 13. Lang Lang's break into stardom came at age 17 when he was called upon for a dramatic last-minute substitution at the "Gala of the Century," playing the Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Testimony to his success, Lang Lang recently appeared in the 2009 Time 100 - Time magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2008, over five billion people viewed Lang Lang's performance in Beijing's opening ceremony for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad where he was seen as a symbol of the youth and future of China. This status has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano - a phenomenon coined by The Today Show as "the Lang Lang effect." Recognizing Lang Lang's powerful cultural influence, in 2008, the Recording Academy named him their Cultural Ambassador to China. Most recently, Lang Lang has been chosen as an official worldwide ambassador to the 2010 Shanghai Expo.Continuing his presence on the world stage, Lang Lang was featured at the 2008 Grammy's, pairing up with jazz great Herbie Hancock,for an astounding performance that was broadcast live to 45 million viewers worldwide. The two pianists continued their collaboration with an inaugural world tour in summer 2009.
Lang Lang has made it his mission to share classical music around the world, with an emphasis on training children and young musicians through education and outreach programs. To that effect, in October 2008 he launched the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in New York with the support of the Grammy's and UNICEF. The Lang Lang International Music Foundation was created to enrich the lives of children through a deeper understanding and enjoyment of classical music and to inspire and financially support the next generation of musicians. In May 2009, Lang Lang and his three chosen scholars from the foundation - aged between 8 and 10 years old - performed together on The Oprah Winfrey Show on "Oprah's Search for the World's Most Smartest and Most Talented Kids."Lang Lang also continues to give master classes regularly throughout the world at the invitation of the most prestigious music institutions, including the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music and Hanover Conservatory, as well as all the top conservatories of China where he holds honorary professorships. He has held music residencies in Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, London, Rome and Stockholm, which include master classes for exceptional students. In addition to his numerous commitments, Lang Lang holds the title of the first Ambassador of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. His role in this groundbreaking project created by YouTube and Google reflects his devotion to building new audiences and bringing classical music to young people worldwide.In 2009, Lang Lang continues his busy touring schedule around the world. As the youngest instrumentalist to ever receive an invitation, Lang Lang will also be in residence with the Berlin Philharmonic - where, among other shows, he will perform on the New Year's Eve concert with 100 school children from Berlin. Furthermore, Lang Lang will also be featured in a special tour of Japan with the Vienna Philharmonic. www.langlang.com
