Jake Capistrant absolutely crushed it. The 19-year-old American with blond hair rocked the crowd at a recent concert in Beijing, stunning everyone by singing the powerful and uplifting classic song Hao Han Ge (Hero Song), followed by an effortless rendition on the traditional Chinese wind instrument, the suona.

"The Hero Song was fun to learn. Last semester, we only played it on our instruments, but then, I learned the words the best I could. I love the melody, it's so expressive and triumphant," says Capistrant.

He was part of a show organized by the Middle Tennessee State University Chinese Music Ensemble and a group of teenage players of traditional Chinese instruments from the Beijing-based Soong Ching Ling Peace Angel Art Troupe on July 17.