Chinese and Israeli pianists make music together

So, what do you get when you put together half a dozen pianists from the West and half a dozen from the East? The answer - great music. At least, that's what happened in Jerusalem this week, when some of China's most promising piano players joined a similar group from Israel.

For many, it was their first time learning with the other culture. But that didn't stop them from making music together.

One piano. Four hands. Two nationalities.

This was the scene in Jerusalem for five days as a group of China's top young piano prodigies came to HERE to learn with their Israeli counterparts.

20-year-old Chinese pianist Du Tianqi said, "I think this country is amazing. I think here is very very old history. But I think in a war, maybe dangerous."

Each of the students played and practiced for much of the day, spending hours under the guidance of renowned master teachers. The classes allow China and Israel's rising piano stars to see how the other learns. And perhaps absorb skills from those lessons and from each other.

21-year-old Israeli pianist Daniel Borobitzky said, "Music language is the most understandable thing that everyone just understands. It's a universal language, so it doesn't matter if it's a Chinese or Israeli, or whatever. We speak with the same grammar."

Reporter: "Organizers say it's not just about the music, but about the interaction. And engagement like this offers a unique opportunity to bridge the understanding between the two cultures."

8-year-old Serena Wang practices piano 6 hours a day. She also swims, and does ballet and gymnastics. She's the youngest in the group, but holds her own, both artistically and socially.

Wang said, "I made cake, and they made sushi. It was really good."

But at the core, it was about class and classical. The exchange was privately funded and the results proved to be music to their ears. Because, like a piano, the keys may be different, but in the end, they come together to make harmony.