A New York gala celebrates Chinese New Year

Chinese singer Jin Chi will perform at the 2017 North American University Lunar New Year Gala on Saturday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

According to Gong, the song, which was co-written by musicians of Bang on a Can and her husband, German composer Robert Zollitsch, was inspired by famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan's Chu Ci Anthology.

Calling their compositions Chinese new art music, which use elements from Chinese music and literature to create contemporary works, Gong says that she will introduce the music before she performs during the gala.

"The students will not just listen to the music but also know more about Chinese culture and literature," Gong says.

She will also perform one of her most famous hits, Tan Te (Perturbed), which was also written by Zollitsch. When the lyric-less song was released online in 2011, it quickly became one of the most controversial and talked-about things on the internet.

Other highlights of the gala will include an ethnic band, Elephant, from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and overseas Chinese students from The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music.

The first North American University Lunar New Year Gala was held at the Lincoln Center on Jan 31, 2016.