Lang Lang Discusses His Amazing Life with Sarah Cahill September 8, 2009

The brilliant Chinese pianist discusses his amazing life and powerful art with classical pianist Sarah Cahill. Lang Lang will also be signing copies of his autobiography, Journey of a Thousand Miles.

Tickets at Pegasus (both stores), Pendragon, Moe's Books, University Press Books, Mrs. Dalloway's, Walden Pond, DIESEL A Bookstore, Modern Times

Sponsored by KPFA Radio, Berkeley Arts & Letters, Institute of International Studies, UC Center for Chinese Studies, and UC Berkeley Music Department

"The hottest artist on the classical music planet may well be the Chinese pianist Lang Lang." - The New York Times

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

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.

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. And 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.

Sarah Cahill 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." Her radio show, Then & Now, can be heard every Sunday evening from 8 to 10 pm on KALW, 91.7 FM.

$20 general admission, $10 students with ID.

Official Website: http://berkeleyarts.org