Night Thoughts" was inspired by a ninth-century Buddhist pipa tune and represents for pipa virtuoso and composer Wu Man a chance to rediscover the pipa's native, regional language.

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. One of the most popular contemporary female recording artists, she is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which has received much media attention.
Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at age 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. Her eponymous debut album in 2006 peaked at number five on Billboard 200 and spent the most weeks on the chart in the 2000s. The album's third single, "Our Song", made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008. Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless became the best-selling album of 2009 in the United States. The album won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest Album of the Year winner.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in France cellist, virtuoso, orchestral composer ancestry Chinese, and winner of multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Dance for You" is a song by American singer Beyoncé for the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was written by Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, while production was handled by the former two. "Dance for You" is a midtempo R&B and synthpop song, in which Beyoncé adopts sensual vocals. The instrumental elements used on it include echoing drum patterns and clapping synthesizers. In "Dance for You", Beyoncé, as the female protagonist, speaks of the love she has for her man and about all the things she will do to show him her appreciation.

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, she held minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood. Cyrus became a teen idol for her portrayal of the starring character Miley Stewart in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana in 2006; her father Billy Ray Cyrus additionally starred in the show. Cyrus subsequently signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records; her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding three million shipments. Cyrus released her second album Breakout and launched her film career as a voice actress in the animated film Bolt in 2008

The musical traditions of the Arabic world are fused with jazz improvisation and European classical techniques by Lebanese-born oud player and composer Rabih Abou-Khalil.

Ascending Bird" is an arrangement of a traditional Persian folk melody by Silk Road Ensemble members Colin Jacobsen and Siamak Aghaei.

For "Silent City," the kamancheh (Persian spike fiddle), Western strings and percussion join in a meditation that is created anew with each performance.

Partition" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her self-titled fifth studio album released in 2013. Beyoncé co-wrote and co-produced the song with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, Dwane "Key Wane" Weir, and Mike Dean, with extra writing from The-Dream and extra production from Jordy "Boots" Asher. The song was sent to urban contemporary on February 25, 2014 as the third single from Beyoncé by Columbia Records.

Drunk in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé featuring her husband, rapper Jay Z. The duo along with Detail, Andre Eric Proctor, Rasool Ricardo Diaz, Brian Soko, Timbaland, Jerome Harmon, and Boots composed the song for Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album (2013). Columbia Records released "Drunk in Love" as one of the two lead singles from Beyoncé on December 17, 2013. The song is dominated by trap beats in chunks and bass. Its lyrics, which depict female sexuality, are sung by Beyoncé in a sensual and confident way.