The soloists used their instruments to create a unique blend of sounds that highlighted Chinese ethnic music, courtesy of the Bard Conservatory of Music's US-China Music Institute and the Central Conservatory of Music.

Betsey Ely, a member of the Bard College Board of Trustees, said it was her fourth year attending. She told China Daily that it was important for Western audiences to get to hear Chinese music because it allows "an exchange to take place with all cultures". Ely said that she is "a great supporter of this program; it's a wonderful idea that I hope exists for decades to come".

Cai, director of the US-China Music Institute — an organization that strives to promote the appreciation of music from contemporary China and supports musical exchange with the US — introduced the pipa concerto Sisters of the Grassland.

It is a pivotal piece that established Chinese ethnic music and was composed in 1972 by Wu Zuqiang, Wang Yanqiao and Liu Dehai.