k.d. lang says Royal Conservatory fellowship has personal meaning to her

Alberta native k.d. lang studied the piano standards of the Royal Conservatory of Music growing up. On Thursday, she'll become an honorary fellow of the organization.

"Being honoured by them has that much more weight to it, for me," lang said in a phone interview from Calgary earlier this week.

"It's a very integral part to the cultural fabric of Canada, as far as I'm concerned."

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The Constant Cravingsinger is one of three honourees the Royal Conservatory of Music will recognize for their contributions to culture during a ceremony at Koerner Hall in Toronto on Thursday night.

It was sports and music for me and my motorcycle- k.d.lang

Growing up in Consort, Alta., left her with plenty of time to focus on learning music, says lang.

"(I) was the youngest of four kids in the family who studied Royal Conservatory piano," she says.

"It was sports and music for me and my motorcycle."

Concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker will also receive a fellowship during the event. The musician, who was born in Vancouver, rose to international fame when he won the gold medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1984 when he was 24.

Both lang and Parker will perform alongside students from the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School and other local programs for young musicians.

The Royal Conservatory of Music will also honour the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, which was established by Canadian businessman Willard Garfield Weston to fund projects in land conservation, education and science in the North.