This July in Switzerland Lang Lang was presented, by Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones, The International Committee of Artists for Peace Award.

Journey of a Thousand Miles…capture[s] the struggles of a brilliant prodigy who is consumed by music in a country hesitatingly opening up to Western culture. With his winning personality and mind-boggling virtuosity, Lang Lang has captured the world’s imagination, catapulting him beyond the confines of the concert hall. He has become an ambassador for the arts, and one of China’s most popular exports.”
–Rocky Mountain News

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 symphony orchestras. He recently appeared in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2008, over 5 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 35 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano – a phenomenon coined by The Today Show as “the Lang Lang effect.”

Born in China to parents whose musical careers were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, Lang Lang has emerged as one of the greatest pianists of our time. Yet despite his international fame, few in the West know of the heart-wrenching journey from his early childhood as a prodigy in an industrial city in northern China to his difficult years in Beijing to his phenomenal success today.

Journey of a Thousand Miles documents the intimate story of a family who sacrificed almost everything — his parents’ marriage, financial security, Lang Lang’s childhood, and their reputation in China’s insular classical music world — for the belief in a young boy’s talent. It reveals the devastating and intense relationship between a boy and his father, who was willing to go to any length to make his son a star.

In 2004, he was appointed International Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). He has contributed and worked to raise funds and awareness for earthquake relief efforts in China. He also currently serves on the Weill Music Institute Advisory Committee as part of Carnegie Hall’s educational program and is the youngest member of Carnegie Hall’s Artistic Advisory Board. He has been added as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders picked by the World Economic Forum.  An engaging, cultural commentator who bridges East and West, Lang Lang has written more than an autobiography: his book opens a door to China, where he is an authentic cultural icon.

“(Journey of a Thousand Miles)… is a substantial, well-observed and ultimately endearing memoir.” — The Philadelphia Inquirer

Sarah Cahill, who’ll be interviewing Lang Lang, is a classical pianist recently praised in the Village Voice for “her phenomenal technique, her instinctive command of recent aesthetics, and quite possibly the most interesting repertoire of any pianist around.” A specialist in new American music as well as the American experimental tradition, Sarah has commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous compositions for solo piano. Composers who have dedicated music to her include John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, and many others. For many years Sarah hosted an excellent classical music show on KPFA. Her current show, Then & Now, can be heard every Sunday evening from 8 to 10 pm on KALW, 91.7 FM.

Lang Lang talks with Sarah about his unique journey in this exclusive program and book signing just one day before his September 9 concert at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.
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