OneBeat is accepting applications for OneBeat 11 & 12, two in-person United States-based arts exchange programmes set to run in the spring and autumn of 2023. An initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the ground-breaking New York-based music organisation Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation, OneBeat employs collaborative original music as a potent new form of cultural diplomacy.
OneBeat will bring a total of 50 musicians (ages 19-35) drawn from up to 50 countries from around the world to the Southern U.S. for one month each season (April-May and September-October 2023) to collaboratively write, produce, and perform original music, and develop strategies for arts-based social engagement. OneBeat begins with an opening residency, when Fellows collaborate to create original material, record new musical ideas, and incubate new projects. OneBeat Fellows then go on tour, performing for a wide array of American audiences, collaborating with local musicians, and leading workshops with youth. After the completion of the programme, OneBeat musicians return to their home countries to develop projects linked to a mutually-reinforcing network of music-driven social enterprises.
OneBeat are seeking applicants who excel in the following areas:
- Musical Excellence & Innovation – A high level of performance, composition, improvisational, production and/or technological skill.
- Social Engagement – Musicians who have used music to serve their communities or greater societies. This might consist of guiding young people in music education, addressing social-political issues, reviving dying musical traditions, etc.
- Collaboration – Applicants’ willingness to reach across cultural and musical divides in creating original music or re-interpreting traditional music, while respecting the essence of each tradition.
Applicants must be between 19 and 35 years old during the programme end dates (May or October 2023). Eligible Countries & Territories: Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela
All costs will be covered for OneBeat Fellows, including travel and accommodations. Fellows will also receive a per diem and a modest honorarium.
