The First Annual World of Music Festival will be hosted by a collaboration between The Art Gallery and the Social Justice Center inside the Haag Recital Hall on Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.

The event will feature traditional sounds from China, Africa, Indigenous Mesoamerica and Mexico.

Event organizers hope listeners gain insight and knowledge about different cultures and traditions through the melodies and instruments showcased at the festival.

“I would like for everyone to enjoy what we have in common,” Senator of Fine Arts Dulce Stein said. “What we have in common is art. It’s music, you don’t have to understand the lyrics, it is mostly instrumental.”

Stein said the collaboration aims to make everyone feel welcome and connect through a musical medium.

Music from China will be performed by Yihan Chen and Haowei Chang. Chen will be playing the pipa, a traditional Chinese lute while Cheng will be playing a guzheng, a Chinese plucked zither.

Malik Sow, along with other performers, will demonstrate the music of Africa. Sow, who hails from West Africa, will exhibit his mastery of Fulani drumming. The Fulani is an ethnic group from the Sahara, Sahel and West Africa.

Indigenous Mesoamerican and Mexican music will be presented by Xochi Cucicatl, a family band consisting of Christopher Garcia, Yolanda Garcia and Algeria Garcia.

Cucicatl will perform with string and percussion instruments as well as demonstrate what “Indigenous breath” is and how it is used to create music.

The event is free to students as well as the general public.

“Close your eyes and listen to the beauty of the world without judgment, just to enjoy that moment and be present,” Stein said.