"It's been a year since I launched my studio here and it took me, my team and the team of the NCPA a very long time to present this master class," says the pianist, adding that they arranged the date for a weekend, hoping to attract more people to the event.

On Saturday, the pianist also announced a new collaboration with the NCPA Taihu Stage Art Center-establishing Taihu Lang Lang Music World, a music school catering to young music students.

In 2011, Lang launched his music school, Lang Lang Music World, and so far it has been established in three Chinese cities: Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Shanghai.

He says that it's been his longtime wish to launch a school in the capital and that the collaboration with the NCPA Taihu Stage Art Center started right after the launch of his studio.

"I look forward to having new piano teachers and new students join us at the new school. We are working on it now," he adds.

The NCPA Taihu Stage Art Center was launched in 2018 by the National Center for the Performing Arts, an iconic venue in downtown Beijing. Covering an area of nearly 60,000 square meters, the art center has multiple indoor and outdoor theaters, rehearsal rooms and areas to keep technical equipment, costumes and sets.

"Lang Lang visits the NCPA every year to perform and give master classes. He is an old friend," says Li Zhixiang, vice-president of the NCPA. "For music learners, Lang Lang is a good teacher, since he has a remarkable harmonic imagination and he knows how to bring that imagination to life through music."

The partnership between Lang and the NCPA started in 2007.The pianist mentions some key events. For example, on Dec 31,2007, Lang performed at the NCPA's inaugural New Year concert under the baton of Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa. In December 2012, he performed with the China NCPA Orchestra for the first time in a concert marking the NCPA's fifth anniversary.

Lang gave his first master class at the NCPA in January 2008, which was followed by two more in 2009 and 2012, respectively; and in 2018, he performed with Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel at the NCPA.