The Fourth Beijing Traditional Music Festival will open on Oct 3 and run until Oct 25.

The festival, which is organized by the China Conservatory of Music, will comprise concerts, seminars, and an awards ceremony.

The event will present various aspects of the preservation and development of traditional music from China and the world.

Musicians from China, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Peru, Iran, Greece and Bulgaria will perform at the opening concert, to be held on Oct 7 at the China Conservatory of Music.

For the first time, the festival will present the Taiji Award, which will be given to people and organizations with great achievements in traditional music from around the world.

Nominees include Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, American ethnomusicologist Bruno Nettl and Chinese American writer Pai Hsien-yung.