OneBeat^SM encourages cross-cultural understanding by illustrating ways music can be used to foster positive community engagement.

The music exchange will invite more than 32 young professional musicians and advanced students (ages 19-35) from 21 countries around the world to the U.S. to create and perform innovative work with their American counterparts.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in partnership with Found Sound Nation, the social-engagement wing of the New-York based music organization Bang on a Can, will develop month-long programs consisting of a U.S.-based residency and tour. During the residencies, participants will form small collaborative ensembles that improvise across genres, reinvent traditional tunes, compose original work, record in the state-of-the-art OneBeat mobile studio, and prepare for performances and educational workshops.

The groups will then tour to cities within the U.S. to perform the music they have developed during the residency, perform with local musicians, and partner with community-based organizations to conduct creative workshops with local youth. Find more info about the artists and tour by using the tabs above.