Oxford Philomusica offers a rare opportunity to witness a masterclass by one of classical music’s biggest stars. Heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by the New York Times, 29 year-old Lang Lang has played sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world and is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and all the top American orchestras. In this special event Lang Lang will pass on his musical knowledge to talented piano students in a rare public masterclass at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre. An unmissable opportunity for aspiring pianists and piano enthusiasts, but also an informative, interesting and entertaining experience for any music lover. Two of the students - Mark Viner and Ashley Fripp - are alumni of Oxford Philomusica's International Piano Festival and Summer Academy, and the other - Robert Gorrie - studies at the University of Oxford's Music Faculty, where Oxford Philomusica is Orchestra in Residence.

Sponsored by: Bruno Wang

What is a masterclass, and who should attend? A masterclass is a lesson or tutorial given to a student or students of a particular discipline by an expert, ie the master. These are often open to the public. Although of particular interest to music students and teachers, audience members for Lang Lang’s piano masterclass do not need any specialist knowledge or understanding of music, nor do they need to be able to read music. All that is required is an interest and desire to understand a little more. A masterclass is not a performance: passages are played, re-played and played again and worked on phrase by phrase. Whilst enjoying a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of the pianist’s world, audiences will learn about playing techniques, phrasing, tempo and interpretation, and effortlessly begin to listen in a slightly different way and appreciate the nuances of a pianist’s playing.