Richard Clayderman is seen at his concert in Beijing on Sunday, July 1, 2007. Richard Clayderman, a famous French pianist, unveiled the curtain of a conservatory named after himself when he held a concert in Beijing on Sunday. [Photo: Xinhua]

Richard Clayderman, dubbed the "piano prince" of France, will show concern for millions of earthquake survivors by donating some of the box office receipts from his current concert series in China, the tour organizer said Tuesday.

The renowned pianist was very concerned about the survivors in Sichuan Province, said Li Ruigang, deputy director and art director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Culture and Art Development Center.

"He expressed sympathy and a willingness to offer assistance in a letter written to Chinese fans," Li said.

Clayderman was scheduled to give 10 concerts in China from June 2 to July 2, including two in Sichuan. He decided to cancel the Sichuan events after the quake struck the province on May 12.

"In one way or another, he will help quake victims," Li said, adding that Clayderman will also solicit donations during intermissions in his performances and auction a piano or autographed score.

The pianist will start his tour in Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, on Tuesday night. He will fly to Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Thursday to continue the concert series. Urumqi, Xi'an, Nanning and other cities are also on his agenda.

Clayderman is very popular in China and has toured the country more than 10 times in recent years.

(China Daily June 3, 2008)