Northeastern's music department hosted 15 international musicians for an intensive five-week summer program under a first-time grant awarded by the U.S. State Department. The Fusion Arts Exchange links American specialists with their counterparts around the world at select U.S. universities; Northeastern was chosen to host the music program, featuring international musicians from Mali, South African, India, Ireland, and Brazil, according to music department chairman Anthony De Ritis. The selected musicians represented composers and performers in a diverse mix of genres including rap, opera, classic rock, jazz, liturgical music, and more.

The theme of the program was the History of 20th Century American Music Composition and Performance Practice, and focused on American master composers including Cage, Copland, Coltrane, Gershwin, and Ives. The program included individual and collaborative music composition, individual musical coaching, instrument-specific instruction, group lessons, and individual and group performance opportunities. A nine-day educational study tour component took the participants to New York City, Tanglewood, MA, and Washington, D.C.