Watch a clip from the Olympic Opening Ceremony!

Lang Lang performed to a crowd of over 90,000 and an audience of billions Friday at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In the artistic portion of the ceremony, he sat along side a young performer with but a year's experience, playing the keys in his white suit. Sharing the piano seemed to symbolize Lang Lang's dedication to cultivating musical talent and ambition among young people the world over. This was a unique opportunity to evangelize what some have called the "Lang Lang Effect" - his joyful success in inspiring young musicians.

  The white piano sat on a stunning LCD tapestry of light and color unlike anything ever seen at Olympics of the past. The notes flowed in time to a swarm of glowing acrobats that transformed themselves into the shape of the "Bird's Nest", as the stadium has come to be known. An emerging symbol of national pride, the Bird's Nest was a spectacular venue for the opening ceremony and Lang Lang's part in the night's events was an exciting and unforgettable beginning to this historic 29th Olympiad of the modern era.

CHINA'S SUPERSTAR PIANIST LANG LANG TO PERFORM TO OVER FIVE BILLION VIEWERS AT 2008 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES OPENING CEREMONY IN BEIJING ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH

August 6th, 2008 – New York, NY – One of the world's greatest classical pianists, Lang Lang, will perform for over five billion viewers around the globe in the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 World Olympics. Promising to be a highlight of this year's Opening Ceremony, the 26-year old Chinese prodigy has captivated audiences around the world with his virtuosic talent. This unique Olympic performance will no doubt amaze viewers with his unforgettable and charismatic mastery of the piano. Lang Lang also appeared live from Beijing on The Today Show, on Thursday August 7th, and the show will feature a special artist profile on him the following week.

Click here to watch Lang Lang's interview and performance on The Today Show.

This has been a landmark year for Lang Lang, who, in addition to playing sold-out recitals in major cities around the world, was honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and was asked to perform at the 50th Annual Grammy awards, with jazz great Herbie Hancock. Through his tireless work, he has also managed to raise millions of dollars, through numerous performances, for the China earthquake relief efforts. In July, Lang Lang released his moving autobiography, Journey of a Thousand Miles (Spiegel & Grau) and an enchanting book for children, Playing with Flying Keys (Random House). His most recent recording, The Magic of Lang Lang, was released through Deutsche Grammophon earlier this year and has proven a chart-topping success, with his album sales ranking him as one of the best-selling classical musicians in the world.

As one of the biggest artists to come out of his country, it is only fitting that Lang Lang will perform at the prestigious Olympic Opening Ceremony, as he represents the new face and hope of China today. In a historic moment leading up to his performance at the Summer Olympics, Lang Lang was honored to be among the last international stars to carry the Olympic torch through the streets of Beijing.

Lang Lang performed from Beijing at Olympic Park on the Today Show on NBC this morning (8/7). Click here to view the interview and performance.

To further aid in relief effort, Lang Lang is auctioning off the Steinway piano on which he played during his free concert in Central Park, Manhattan on July 15th, 2008. Visit the auction page for more information.

 

 

Time magazine is preparing questions to ask for an upcoming interview with Lang Lang – but they need your help! What would you like to see answered? Visit http://time-blog.com/10questions/lang-lang/ to suggest a question and watch for his interview in Time Magazine. Your question might pop up there!