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For Immediate Release: Press Contacts: May 13, 2016 Eileen Chambers, 312-294-3092

Photos Available By Request [email protected]

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED PIANIST LANG LANG JOINS CHARLES DUTOIT AND THE CSO FOR A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY SPECIAL CONCERT

All-Russian Program Includes Stravinsky’s Fireworks, The Firebird and Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 with Lang Lang as Soloist

Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m.

CHICAGO—On Saturday, May 21 at 8:00 p.m. international keyboard superstar Lang Lang joins renowned conductor Charles Dutoit and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for a special one-night-only concert. The electrifying, all-Russian program includes Stravinsky’s Fireworks, Op. 4 and The Firebird, bookending a performance of Prokofiev’s thrilling and virtuosic No. 3 with Lang Lang as soloist. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 received its world premiere performance from the CSO with the composer as soloist under the direction of then music director Frederick Stock in 1921.

The May 21 program opens with Stravinsky’s Fireworks, a sparkling showpiece and the first of Stravinsky’s works performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The program continues with Prokofiev’s powerful and technically dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3, which alternates in mood from witty to brooding. Completing the program is Stravinsky’s extraordinary ballet score for The Firebird. The iconic work propelled the composer to the international scene after its Paris premiere in 1910 and simultaneously launched Stravinsky’s longstanding association with Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes.

Pianist Lang Lang launched his international solo career after his much-heralded appearance as a last-minute replacement with the CSO at a Gala concert. Only 17 years old at that time, he became an overnight sensation, and would later be called the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by The New York Times. He has performed with major orchestras all over the world, developing lasting relationships with such conductors as , and Sir . Lang’s career has led him to perform at high-profile events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Last Night of , the 2014 World Cup concert, and two consecutive years at the Grammy® Award Ceremony. Additionally, Lang Lang

is both a champion of youth in music and an ambassador for the Chinese people and culture, reaching children around the world through both the Lang Lang International Music Foundation and the Lang Lang Music World educational complex which opened in 2011. A favorite of Chicago audiences, Lang Lang has performed regularly with the CSO, most recently at Orchestra Hall in 2008 and at the Ravinia Festival in 2013.

Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit is one of today’s foremost musicians, most notably holding a directorship with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra until 2002. He now serves as chief conductor and artistic advisor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the Orchestra, and music director of the Orchestra, appearing frequently with many of the world’s leading orchestras as guest conductor. Well known for his interpretations of French, Russian and 20th century music, Dutoit has also established himself as a respected opera conductor. Dutoit’s recordings with the Montreal Symphony have garnered over 40 national and international awards, while he personally has been awarded a Canadian Music Council Medal, received honorary doctorates from three universities, and named a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. Dutoit has had a long-standing relationship with the CSO dates back to his debut with the Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival in July of 1982 and his Symphony Center debut in June of 2000.

Tickets for all CSOA-presented concerts can be purchased by phone at 800-223-7114 or 312- 294-3000; online at cso.org, or at the Symphony Center box office: 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604.

Discounted student tickets for select concerts can be purchased, subject to availability, online in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. For group rates, please call 312-294- 3040.

Artists, programs and prices are subject to change.

This performance is generously endowed by Elaine Frank in loving memory of Zollie S. Frank.

Bank of America is the Global Sponsor of the CSO.

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Chicago Symphony Orchestra Saturday, May 21, 2016, 8:00 p.m. Special Concert Chicago Symphony Orchestra Charles Dutoit, conductor Lang Lang, piano

STRAVINSKY Fireworks, Op. 4 PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 STRAVINSKY The Firebird

Tickets: $39-$295

Featured Conductor and Soloist for this Performance:

Charles Dutoit Lang Lang

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra: www.cso.org and www.csosoundsandstories.org Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. Since 2010, the preeminent conductor has served as its 10th music director. Yo-Yo Ma is the CSO’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, and Samuel Adams and Elizabeth Ogonek are its Mead Composers-in-Residence.

From baroque through contemporary music, the CSO commands a vast repertoire. Its renowned musicians annually perform more than 150 concerts, most at Symphony Center in Chicago and, each summer, at the suburban Ravinia Festival. They regularly tour nationally and internationally. Since 1892, the CSO has made 58 international tours, performing in 29 countries on five continents.

People around the globe listen to weekly radio broadcasts of CSO concerts and recordings on the WFMT radio network and online at cso.org/radio . Recordings by the CSO have earned 62 Grammy Awards, including two in 2011 for Muti’s recording with the CSO and Chorus of Verdi's Messa da Requiem (Muti’s first of four releases with the CSO to date). Find details on these and many other CSO recordings at www.cso.org/resound.

The CSO is part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, which also includes the Chicago Symphony Chorus (Duain Wolfe, Director and Conductor) and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble for emerging professionals. Through its prestigious Symphony Center Presents series, the CSOA presents guest artists and ensembles from a variety of genres—classical, jazz, world, and contemporary.

The Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO offers community and education programs that annually engage more than 200,000 people of diverse ages and backgrounds. Through the Institute and other activities, including a free annual concert with Muti and the CSO, the CSO is committed to using the power of music to create connections and build community.

The CSO is supported by thousands of patrons, volunteers and institutional and individual donors. Bank of America is the Global Sponsor of the CSO. The CSO’s music director position is endowed in perpetuity by a generous gift from the Zell Family Foundation. The Negaunee Foundation provides generous support in perpetuity for the work of the Negaunee Music Institute.