Noteworthy

They didn’t come through the front doors. Instead, the students entered Roy Thomson Hall through the artists’ entrance, past a sign that warned “No Unauthorized Personnel Beyond This Point.” Already, it felt different from a School Concert. By the time they reached their seats—clustered in the back rows, the rest of the cavernous hall empty—the room hummed with quiet anticipation. On stage: musicians in tees and sneakers (was that a hoodie in the violin section?), a harp covered in purple canvas, and a large digital clock with glowing red numbers ticking down the minutes and seconds. At the piano, dressed in khakis and a black polo, sat Lang Lang—the superstar pianist who has played for billions, but, on this morning, looked more like he was dropping by a friend’s house.

At 10:30 sharp, Music Director Gustavo Gimeno slipped in sideways through the orchestra, greeting Concertmaster Jonathan Crow and Lang Lang. Then he turned to the students. As a boy, he told them, sitting in on rehearsals had been one of the most inspiring experiences of his life—and even now, he still sneaks into them whenever he can. He hoped this morning would be just as eye-opening for them. The occasion: Morning with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (MTSO), a program that invites high-schoolers to sit in on working rehearsals. For an hour, they become flies on the wall, watching Toronto’s orchestra at its best, shaping, refining, and rehearsing more often than it performs.

From the first notes of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto—the giant of his five piano concertos, written as Vienna braced for Napoleon’s cannons—the atmosphere shifted. Students leaned forward, eyes locked on the stage. One bass player bobbed his head in time. The newly appointed Associate Concertmaster, Matthew Hakkarainen, grinned through the opening passages. Occasionally Lang Lang stretched between runs or gave a sudden emphatic crash on the keys—and a ripple of gasps shot through the back rows.

The rehearsal had its own rhythm: bows up, quick huddles between conductor and soloist, Gustavo’s voice floating over the orchestra—“You’re in danger of rushing.” Four bars here, six bars there. Musicians nodded, adjusted, tried again. At one point Lang Lang jumped in a beat late, laughing, “Oh, sorry!” The students whispered and giggled. A window into the living, breathing process of music-making opened…

The Conversation

When the Steinway piano was wheeled away by a deft army of stagehands, and two armchairs appeared, Barrett Principal Education Conductor & Community Ambassador Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser took the mic. He warmed up the crowd with quick questions, then welcomed Lang Lang back—now in a blazer, grinning, energized.

What followed was candid, funny, and unexpectedly chill. Lang Lang joked about early flights, muffins, coffee keeping him upright, and the perils of squeaky benches—an occupational hazard when you’re playing a different piano in a different city every night.

But the conversation quickly stretched to bigger themes. Asked about working with new orchestras, he answered, “You have to listen, open your heart, and treat it like a conversation between characters. Each instrument is its own character, and together we’re all in the same boat.”

He spoke of the concerto itself—its technical demands, its signature heartbeat pulse, the lyrical beauty of the second movement—and how, over time, it had become a favourite: a piece that, to him, simply says, “Let’s have a great time.” 

He shared his inspirations, a list that jumped from Pavarotti to Michael Jackson to Jay-Z. He spoke about collaborations too—working with Ed Sheeran, and playing a sunset impromptu with Alicia Keys at the Grand Canyon (as one does). Mentorship, he emphasized, has always been central, from his own teachers and fellow musicians to his foundation’s work with young pianists around the world. He left the students with a parting line that landed like gospel: “Whatever you do in music, enjoy it. Even the boring scales. Music is a good friend—what you put in, it gives back.”

By the time the young crowd filed back out through the artists’ corridor, the hush of the morning had turned into a noisy buzz. “I started playing piano because of him. Seeing him in person was surreal,” said one Marc Garneau C.I. student. Another admitted, “I feel really inspired. I’m going to spend more time on music instead of blazing around.” A violinist from Sir Oliver Mowat C.I. added, “It was incredible…. I adored seeing Lang Lang. His showmanship was incredible.” And one student, who sheepishly confessed he’d actually nodded off, insisted it was the best kind of nap—“The music was so peaceful it put me right to sleep.”

Out on Simcoe Street, phones reappeared in hands, screens lighting up. Hello Kitty tees, Blue Jays hoodies, and sneakers shuffled down the sidewalk. They looked lighter, still laughing, still buzzing—and some very well rested! Earlier that morning, Lang Lang had asked them point-blank if they enjoyed practising. A few hands shot up, some sheepishly, some proud. Who knows which of them will go home now and pick up their instrument with a little more gusto.

It was indeed a very special edition of MTSO—one of the orchestra’s long-standing education programs. Alongside School Concerts (celebrating their 100th year), Symphony Storytime at Toronto Public Library branches, and the tuition-free Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, MTSO is part of the TSO’s broader commitment to young people. Together, these initiatives have reached more than 1.8 million students across the GTA.

That same evening, Lang Lang was back on stage for the TSO Gala, performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” with Gustavo and the orchestra in front of 2,000 supporters. Dinner guests were also treated to a performance by one of his proteges, Lang Lang Young Scholar Ryan Huang. Yes, the Gala sparkled—but it also served a purpose: raising the very support that makes MTSOs like this possible. A few hundred students got to see the process up close; thousands more will feel its ripple effect in classrooms, libraries, and youth programs across the city.

And maybe the best reminder of all came from Lang Lang himself: “Music is a good friend—have a good time with it.”