Musical tastes are dramatically different and songs—and how they come about—evolve and change over the years, from classical to jazz to rock to hip hop.

In a similar sense, instruments gain in popularity and then nearly fade away.

Colin O’Donohoe is world maestro of the Phoenix-based Pangean Orchestra, a diverse collection of musicians and instruments. He’s one of two Americans who will be in Amsterdam beginning on August 27 for Atlas Lab, where he’ll join other musicians from around the world to study, play and research intercultural music.