OneBeat 2015: Groundbreaking Cultural Exchange Program Returns for 4th Annual Residency and Tour
Promotes Global Collaboration, New West Coast Partners
“A United Nations of Music… world music in its truest sense.” – The New York Times
**Correction: OneBeat has partnered with the Seattle Arts Commission and Seattle Music Commission as listed below, not with the City of Seattle’s Office of Film + Music and Office of Arts & Culture as announced in last Thursday’s press release. Apologies for this error.**
The same producers who invited such accomplished musical storytellers as Just a Band’s Blinky Bill Sellanga; Russian beatbox and YouTube sensation Mitya Burmistrov; and 2011 Glamour Woman of the Year Kyla-Rose Smith of Freshlyground to the United States, have assembled twenty-five musical disruptors from six continents. They join together from October 12- November 11, 2015 in OneBeat to create collaborative cross-genre works, record innovative music, produce short form videos, engage with local communities and practice music as civic engagement to promote resilient civil societies. OneBeat fellows are life-long ambassadors for their communities and cities; their combined voices create original works and projects that speak to audiences across the globe.
These boundary-breaking fellows from 17 different countries and territories, including Russia, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Venezuela, and the U.S., bring singular and compelling stories, and range from experimental producers to deeply-rooted traditional virtuosi to indie-rockers and more. This year’s fellows include: Ng Chor Guan, an accomplished sound designer, composer and environmentalist from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jorge Peña, aka. GreenCh, a producer on the forefront of Cuba’s experimental electronic music scene; Dragana Tomić, a traditional Balkan vocalist and ethnomusicologist from Belgrade, Serbia, who is one of Serbia’s first professional female kaval players; Vieux Cissokho, a Senegalese Griot musician specializing in the kora; and Katherine Suavita Niño (aka. La Real Esa), a circus performer and cumbia accordionist from Bogotá, Colombia who works with communities affected by violence.
Meet present and past fellows here.
Now in its fourth year, OneBeat (1beat.org), the pioneering music diplomacy program initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation, will return to Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA for a two-week residency. The residency will be followed by a two-week tour that includes stops at Caldera Arts in central Oregon, venues in Portland, OR and culminating in an unprecedented collaboration with the city of Seattle, WA, in partnership with the Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle Music Commission and with producing support by Compound, in celebration of the city’s revolutionary music culture.
At each location, OneBeat fellows present audiences with a dynamic series of public performances, artistic innovations and educational events. People of all ages and backgrounds have the rare opportunity to experience live what it sounds like when adventurous musicians from different parts of the world combine forces, and learn first-hand about the process of cross-cultural dialogue and creative collaboration. Upcoming performances include:
Friday, Oct. 23: Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA (Friday Nights @ OMCA)
Sunday, Oct. 25: OneBeat Festival at Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA
Friday, Oct. 30: Sisters, OR (venue TBA)
Sunday, Nov. 1: Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
Wednesday, Nov. 4: Columbia City Theater, Seattle, WA
Thursday, Nov. 5: UW World Series & World Affairs Council, Seattle, WA (venue TBA)
Friday, Nov. 6: EMP Museum, Seattle, WA (educational event – to be confirmed)
Friday, Nov. 6: Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA (Remix)
Saturday, Nov. 7: OneBeat & Abbey Arts presents @ St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, WA
To learn more about these events and upcoming workshops, click here.
# # #
