On October 6, 2021, the GRAMMY Museum welcomed celebrated pianist Lang Lang for a special conversation about his illustrious career and recently released recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental work the Goldberg Variations. The conversation was moderated by Classical KUSC radio host Brian Lauritzen. Lang Lang also performed following the discussion.

A globally celebrated piano virtuoso, Lang Lang has sold millions of albums around the world, topping classical charts and achieving simultaneous mainstream success. In 2007, he was nominated for a GRAMMY Award, becoming the first Chinese artist in the Best Instrumental Soloist category, and he was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine. During the past decade, Lang Lang has performed for music fans, world leaders, monarchs and dignitaries including President Barack Obama, Pope Francis and Queen Elizabeth II. He has given sold-out performances at concert halls around the globe, with all the world’s top orchestras and conductors.

Lang Lang has reached televised audiences of billions, performing at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. His performances at the GRAMMYs with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock as well as his 2020 rendition of “I Sing the Body Electric” were hailed by millions of viewers. He’s been a guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Stephen Colbert. Lang Lang also took part in One World: Together At Home, which was broadcast on major television networks and streamed online on multiple global platforms watched by billions of viewers. In September, he will perform at the Global Citizen Live concert on Sept. 25.

Lang Lang’s previous album, Piano Book, became 2019’s biggest selling classical album worldwide. It topped classical charts in multiple countries and was also his biggest streaming debut, with over 170 million streams.

The Goldberg Variations is his latest musical offering and aims to encourage a new generation of fans to explore Bach’s astonishing work. Lang Lang studied Bach’s iconic composition for 20 years before finally realizing his lifelong dream of recording it.