Internationally-recognized pianist Lang Lang to perform at Memorial Hall

After rocking it out with Metallica at the Grammy Awards ceremony in January, Lang Lang is set to electrify Chapel Hill tonight.

Named in 2009 as one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Lang Lang is an internationally-recognized pianist who has an extensive resume. He played in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, performed for President Barack Obama at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007.

Lang Lang is scheduled to perform tonight in Memorial Hall as part of Carolina Performing Arts’s 2013-2014 season.

“He has performed here previously, and we know that he is really popular with our audiences,” said Marnie Karmelita, CPA’s director of programming. “So when the chance came up to present him again, we thought it would be a good chance to take advantage of that opportunity since he doesn’t tour in this area all the time.”

Student tickets to Lang Lang’s concert have been sold out since October 2013, and the general tickets were sold out in January 2014.

Joe Florence, marketing manager for CPA, said this event is one of CPA’s cornerstone performances.

“Lang Lang is great for us because he appeals to a broad audience,” Florence said. “He is known for his appeal for speaking to the young audience with his charisma and his stage presence, so someone may take a chance on him but may not like classical music.”

Florence said he hopes to use Lang Lang’s fame as a platform to broaden the audience’s perception of classical music and to lead them to seek other artists in the field, as well.

“Our mission is beyond getting people to come to a performance,” he said. “For someone like Lang Lang, they’ll come to our hall for the first time because of his broad appeal, and next time they may come and see Andras Schiff, another classical music giant but lesser known to students, faculty and the community who know less about classical music.”

Lang Lang’s appeal originates not only from his musical abilities, but also from his charismatic performance.

“He wears cool clothes, he spikes his hair, he comes out on stage and he has this swagger that people love,” said Elizabeth Joyner, CPA’s audience development and engagement coordinator.

“He sort of puts some sparkle in classical music that you don’t get with other artists.”

Joyner said Lang Lang’s personality excites young people who are attracted not only to his musical talents, but also to his glitz and glamour.

“It’s not a sit-back-and-relax-and-listen-to-a-beautiful-piano music — it’s fireworks, and I think that really appeals well to younger people,” she said.

His attraction is evident based on reaction from students, like freshman Chengliang Fan, who bought tickets to the show in September. Fan is an international student from China and has heard Lang Lang perform back home. Once he knew that Lang Lang was going to perform in Memorial Hall, he instantly sought to get his hands on tickets.

Fan said he thinks Lang Lang is one of the greatest pianists in China.

“I didn’t think that Lang Lang will come to our school, but when I realized he was going to, it was surprising,” he said.

“It’s a really good thing.”

arts@dailytarheel.com