Roy Thomson Hall and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra present

THE CHINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

with LANG LANG

Roy Thomson Hall
Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets: $32.00 - $110.00 - Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

Toronto, ON, February 22, 2005 - The China Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Long Yu, will appear with young piano sensation Lang Lang on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. at Roy Thomson Hall. The Western and Chinese repertoire includes Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Overture to "The Tsar’s Bride", and Hua Yanjun (A’bing) (trans. Wu Zuqiang) Moon Reflected on the Erquan Fountain. This spectacular event is a co-presentation between the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

The China Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 2000. Under managing and artistic director Long Yu, the Orchestra inaugurated its artistic activities with a concert in Beijing on December 16, 2000. Its predecessor, the renowned China Broadcasting Symphony, was one of the first symphony orchestras to be founded in China after 1949. The China Philharmonic Orchestra is made up of 120 musicians from China and other parts of the world. Viewed as one of the most significant symphony orchestras in Asia, the China Philharmonic Orchestra is known for promoting masterpieces of Chinese symphonic music throughout the world and for presenting the works of European and American composers to Chinese audiences. It has collaborated with world class conductors, instrumentalists, and singers including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Julian Lloyd Webber, and Placido Domingo. The China Philharmonic Orchestra has toured Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, and recorded two CDs on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Since making his dramatic debut in 1999 with Chicago Symphony at age 17, Lang Lang’s thrilling virtuosic piano playing has taken the world by storm. Acclaimed in the major concert halls of North America, Europe and Asia, Lang Lang-at the age of 22-has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to connect with audiences on a deeply personal level and has established himself as one of the most exciting pianists of our time. Lang Lang’s talent and personality make him an ideal ambassador for classical music and a role model for young people. He has performed live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Sesame Street. He is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic and all "Big Five" American orchestras. In 2004 he took up his duties as UN Goodwill Ambassador with a visit to Tanzania, further expanded his devoted fan base with a triumphant concert tour of Australia and New Zealand, and topped the classical charts (and even entered the German pop charts) with his Lang Lang Live at Carnegie Hall recording.