Anne Francis

Yesterday I went with my 9-year-old daughter (a promising pianist) to sit in the audience at Lang Lang’s 101 Pianists Workshop here in Toronto. I heard about this through the Beaches Conservatory of Music, where my son studies guitar. The school was invited to select four students to play Schubert’s Marche Militaire with 96 other kids ages 6-16 (that’s right, the youngest kids were SIX) on stage at Roy Thomson Hall in a master class format–with Lang Lang!

The kids played on Roland digital pianos (2 kids per, playing the piece as a duet). Lang played one of two Steinway D’s on stage. The other was played by two of the senior students in the workshop. The audience was comprised of many young pianists and their parents–including Lang Lang’s mom!

Lang and the kids performed the piece all the way through in unison, then he had them play it section by section, pointing out pitfalls and suggesting tips for more musical playing in his trademark goofy, friendly, and highly musical way. The afternoon was hosted by the TSO’s Peter Oundjian, and the two men, obviously great friends, traded quips about Lang’s prodigious talent and Oundjian’s silver hair. We even watched an old Tom and Jerry cartoon, one of Lang’s earliest influences. I know my daughter will always recognize the Marche Militaire now, and I really think she was quite inspired by the whole thing. What a fantastic opportunity for all these kids to learn from, and perform with, one of the greatest pianists in the world!