Five contestants on Oct. 17 advanced to the final round of NTD's 7th International Piano Competition after competing in the semifinals at the Merkin Hall of Kaufman Music Center in New York.

The competition's mission is to promote traditional arts of pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty and to restore the glory of piano masterpieces from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods.

The competition features a special commissioned piece, rearranged from one of the vocal pieces composed by Artistic Director of Shen Yun Performing Arts, D. F.

This year's commissioned piece, "Holy Grace," a symphonic poem, is classical Chinese music for the piano.

Semifinalists were required to perform the commissioned piece and had a chance to compete for the "Best Rendition Award of the Commissioned Composition."

They have shared their understanding of the commissioned piece.

"To me, this piece is about the Creator, who created us and let us come down to the human world to learn a lesson," said contestant Ching-Yi Lin from Taiwan. "There are tribulations in the process, and there may be some more magnificent moments, which are all experiences of life."

Another contestant from Taiwan, Tang Hsing Lien said: "The sound pattern [in a certain part] is constantly rotating, very much like it will reappear again, again, and reincarnate again, and then when it reaches the clouds, the whole person will float up."

Contestant Jean-Luc Therrien from Canada said: "Maybe more like a prayer, or something, just looking for an answer from above. There's a lot of theatrics."

Shen Yun composer Qin Yuan, who arranged the commissioned piece, said she was pleasantly surprised by the contestants' interpretations.

"First of all, they gave me a big surprise. I think I learned a lot today," Qin said. "Everyone came from different ethnic groups and life backgrounds; everyone has a different understanding of music, life, and arts. What I saw today was a rich expression [of music] that far surpassed my expectations."

Qin said she was amazed by the contestants' handling of timbre -- the quality or character of a sound.

"Based on their understanding of the music, there were moments when I felt that I was not listening to a piano or the sound of wood and steel wires," she said. "Instead, I heard the sound of musical instruments such as guqin, and sometimes I seemed to be able to see a kind of velvet fabric. It was really wonderful. "

The finals and winners' concert will be open to audience members and livestreamed on NTD's and The Epoch Times' websites and social media channels.