{"id":14659,"date":"2016-07-07T15:42:28","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T22:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/?p=14659"},"modified":"2016-11-01T14:18:46","modified_gmt":"2016-11-01T21:18:46","slug":"roland-101-pianists-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/07\/roland-101-pianists-philadelphia\/","title":{"rendered":"Roland and 101 Pianists in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roland Partners with\u00a0Lang Lang International Music Foundation for\u00a0Piano Education\u00a0on a Grand Scale<\/h2>\n

\"101-Pianists_Concert-1b\"<\/p>\n

On May 10, Temple University hosted\u00a0the first\u00a0101 Pianists concert and masterclass event of 2016 in\u00a0Philadelphia, PA. Using 50 Roland pianos, 100 piano students from the local community\u00a0performed together as a \u201cpiano orchestra\u201d with acclaimed\u00a0concert pianist Lang Lang. The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, together with the Philadelphia Orchestra, organized the educational event as part of the orchestra\u2019s PlayIN series of programs, designed to encourage people of all ages to experience\u00a0classical\u00a0music as listeners or performers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

About 101 Pianists<\/h2>\n

The 101 Pianists<\/a> series is the brainchild of Lang Lang, who is a passionate\u00a0supporter of music education. Its mission is to share classical music with children around the world, and to\u00a0offer piano students a way to perform as a group in more of a social setting, similar to the experience had by their peers who participate in school bands and orchestras. \u201cI started 101 Pianists to give piano students an opportunity to play together,\u201d says Lang Lang. \u201cIt started about 15 years ago at one of my concerts, where I invited students to join me for an encore, and we had a wonderful time. So, I wanted to do more of these events as a workshop and also a performance for the community. It\u2019s now one of the key programs of my foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"101-Pianists_Concert-2c\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Every year, the program visits multiple cities around the world. Roland supports each event by providing 50 pianos on which the students perform. \u201cLang Lang\u2019s foundation introduces the love of playing piano in a unique and modern way that resonates with young students and inspires them to further develop and share their talents,\u201d notes Jay Wanamaker, Roland Corporation U.S. President & CEO. \u201cOur company has always been a big advocate of music education, so we are proud to align with an organization that shares our dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"101<\/a>

Temple University Performing Arts Center.<\/p><\/div>\n

Lang Lang\u00a0attended college at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.\u00a0He celebrated his homecoming by<\/span>\u00a0offering an open invitation to local piano students in grades K\u00a0through\u00a012 to perform with him. Playing Roland HP603<\/a> and HP504<\/a> Digital Pianos, the young students joined in pairs to perform four-hand arrangements of Brahms\u2019 Hungarian Dance No. 5 in F sharp minor and Schubert\u2019s Marche Militaire No. 1 in D major. They were accompanied by Lang Lang and conducted by the Philadelphia Orchestra\u2019s Lio Kuokman in a concert that\u00a0will surely be a\u00a0memorable\u00a0experience and an\u00a0inspiration\u00a0for\u00a0a lifetime of music making.<\/p>\n