Slide: Chinese, US military bands play at UN

Military bands of China and the United States joined force to perform at the great hall of the UN General Assembly Friday, in a bid to enhance friendship between the two nations.

Playing as one unit, the joint band, made up of more than 150 men and women from both militaries, filled the huge facility with melodies and marches to demonstrate China-U.S. cooperation as part of a first-ever joint concert tour.

PLA Senior Col. Zhang Zhirong opened the concert conducting China's national anthem, followed by various Chinese and U.S. music pieces performed by Chinese and U.S. military musicians, including Chao Tian Que, a lyric song inspired by a famous poem from China's Song Dynasty.

It was sung by renowned Chinese tenor Dai Yuqiang, wearing a PLA uniform, and Sgt. 1st Class Leigh Ann Hinton, soprano, a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Army from Troy in upstate New York.

Senior Col. Yu Hai, head of the PLA band, said that it was the first time for either band to perform at the UN headquarters.

After the duet, Col. Thomas Rotondi, Jr., leader of the U.S. band, took over the baton to conduct the U.S. national anthem followed by the George Washington Bicentennial March by famous U.S. "March King" John Philip Sousa.