The U.S. Department of State announced today that the American Music Abroad 2024 spring season is underway, with more than three dozen American musical artists and groups from across the music genre spectrum traveling overseas to promote peace through American culture as part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative.
The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, launched by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in September 2023, aims to promote peace and cross-cultural connections through music and supports broader U.S. foreign policy goals to expand access to education, economic opportunity and equity, and societal inclusion. To learn more about this initiative, go to www.state.gov/music-diplomacy.
An integral part of this initiative, American Music Abroad sends American musical artists overseas each year to more than 30 countries worldwide to engage with international audiences through performances and collaborations with local musicians, educational workshops, jam sessions, and cross-cultural exchanges. American Music Abroad, which was first known as Jazz Ambassadors in the 1950s and 1960s, continues to elevate American music and culture as a diplomatic tool with global audiences. American Music Abroad is implemented through a cooperative agreement by the Association of American Voices.
The American Music Abroad 2024 Spring Season (Name of Artists, Music Genre, Hometown, and Country to which they will travel).
- Birkhead, Jazz, Washington, D.C. (Qatar)
- Marielle Kraft, Pop, Nashville, TN (Algeria, Morocco, Peru)
- Matthew Whitaker, Jazz Fusion, NJ. (Antigua, St. Lucia)
- Pipeline Vocal Project, A Capella, Anchorage, AK. (Kiribati, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu)
- Raining Jane, with Natalia Zukerman, Folk-Rock, Los Angeles, CA. (Pakistan)
- Sihasin, Alter-Native, Flagstaff, AZ. (People's Republic of China)
- Sub-Radio, Indie Pop, Washington, D.C. (Estonia)
- The Beatbox House, Hip-Hop, New York, NY. (Brazil, Egypt, Liberia)
- The Invisibles, Hip-Hop, Detroit, MI. (Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Senegal)
