All musicians at the SCO traditional music concert play the Russian folk song Kalinka.[Photo provided to China Daily]

In preparation for the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a traditional music concert was held on Wednesday as part of the SCO Member States Arts Festival.

The concert was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and presented by the China Arts and Entertainment Group in front of a live audience of around 1,000 people, which included diplomats from member states, observer states, dialogue partners as well as representatives from the SCO.

Luo Shugang, the minister for Culture and Tourism, said at the concert that the ministry aims to "enhance the communication and cooperation in the cultural and tourism fields, as well as promote mutual understanding and friendship with the member states, observer states, and dialogue partners of the organization."

All musicians at the SCO traditional music concert play the Russian folk song Kalinka.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Four folk orchestras from China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Russia took part in the concert: the Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra from the China Conservatory of Music; Kyrgyzstan's Akak Ensemble; the Uzbekistan National Music Group, Sato; and the Lyudmila Zykina State Academic Ensemble of Russian Folk Music.

The orchestras performed in the opening piece and finale of the concert together, a festive Chinese piece named Xiyangyang (Jubilant), and the well-known Russian folk song, Kalinka.

In other passages, the orchestras each performed their distinctive regional music masterpieces. The Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra presented three different Chinese musical styles, including a puppet play from Shaanxi province, the poetic lute piece A Moonlit Night on the Spring River, and a popular overture from Peking Opera.