Famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang will be performing at the Green Music Center on Sept. 17. The performance comes a bit before the release of his new album with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic entitled “Piano Concerto No. 3/Piano Concerto No. 2” to be released on Oct. 22.

People may recognize Lang from when he performed at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, being a torch bearer for the London 2012 Olympics as well as performing personally for political dignitaries such as President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton and many others around the world but specifically in Europe, Asia and North America. 

Lang’s love for the piano began at a young age in Shenyang, China when he heard Tom and Jerry’s “The Cat Concerto” by Franz Liszt. 

After hearing it, he took up the piano and began performing at different musical competitions for most of his childhood, which eventually led to his successful career. 

From that one original source of inspiration, Lang has gone on to inspire others himself, especially with his work with United Nations Children’s Fund, being one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and through his own organization, the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. 

Lang has recorded at least 15 albums to date, one of his most prominent being “The Chopin Album” as Frédéric Chopin has also been an inspiration to Lang throughout his career. 

He has also been a part of six different movie soundtracks, his most notable being “The Painted Veil” and one of the “Gran Turismo” video game soundtracks. He has also made guest appearances on other famous musicians’ albums like Andrea Bocelli and In2ition.

His work has earned him top spots in many musical charts including the Classical Billboard Chart and Billboard’s New Artist Chart and a Grammy nomination in 2007. 

While Lang is currently a New Yorker, he still inspires many young children back home in China, mainly with his influence in over 40 million Chinese children to play the piano through the “Lang Lang Effect.” 

With all these achievements to his name, it’s no wonder that Lang even has an autobiography entitled “Journey of a Thousand Miles” to commemorate all of his accomplishments. 

What makes him so inspirational is how willing he is to travel, teach and simply give whatever contribution he can. 

This includes his contributions to earthquake relief efforts for both China and Haiti back in 2008 through the United Nations Children’s Fund.  

For a man with so many achievements and musical talent to boot, the performance on Sept. 17 should be a must see for those interested in classical music and even those who are not but have been inspired by Lang’s generous heart. 

Tickets for the performance are between $55 and $125 and seats are limited.