Pianist Lang Lang to Receive Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The renowned Chinese pianist will be honored with the Hollywood Walk of Fames’s 2,778th star

Formed in 1921, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC) now comprises more than 750 members, and is the steward of the Hollywood Sign and of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which celebrates icons in art and entertainment.

The HCC will honor world-renowned classical pianist Lang Lang with the 2,778th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 10. He will receive his star in the category of Live Performance. 

Honorees are selected by a committee of their peers. Lang Lang is the first Asian pianist to receive a star on the iconic sidewalk and will be honored at a ceremony held at 11:30 am PT at 7044 Hollywood Boulevard.

Dickon Stainer, president and CEO of Global Classics & Jazz, and UMG’s executive vice president Michele Anthony will be joining emcee Steve Nissen as speakers at the event. 

Born in Shenyang, China, in 1982, Lang Lang received his first piano lessons from the age of three; two years later, he won the Shenyang Piano Competition and gave his public debut. He studied at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music with Zhao Ping-Guo and the Curtis Institute of Music with Gary Graffman.

Lang Lang’s breakthrough came in 1999 when he joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a last-minute replacement soloist in Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. 

He has since sold millions of albums worldwide, topped classical charts, performed numerous sold-out shows, and garnered over 20 million social media followers. 

Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, he has performed for President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, and the late Queen Elizabeth II. 

He has also performed at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, and with artists including Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and Herbie Hancock at various editions of the GRAMMY Awards. 

In 2020, he took part in the One World: Together At Home concert, which was broadcast on major television networks and streamed online on multiple global platforms. In 2023, he joined the judging panel of “The Piano,” talent show broadcast by the UK’s Channel 4. 

Additionally, he is the founder of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation and Keys of Inspiration. As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a UN Messenger of Peace, he has inspired over 40 million children to learn the piano and has developed hugely successful educational programs.  

Among Lang Lang’s bestselling publications include 2019’s The Piano Book, 2020’s Goldberg Variations, and 2022’s The Disney Book. His latest album “Lang Lang-Saint-Saëns” was released earlier this year, featuring his wife and pianist Gina Alice, the Gewandhausorchester, and Andres Nelsons. 

“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize Lang Lang’s outstanding contributions to the world of classical music and celebrate his extraordinary talent with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” said the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s producer, Ana Martinez in the press release.