America.gov-The Arts: Music

Fourth of July Music Reflects U.S. History, Diversity

Lauren Monsen — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:18:27 GMT

The patriotic songs that are staples of U.S. Independence Day celebrations reflect the nation’s history and the contributions of immigrants to the country’s culture. Perhaps the piece that captures the 4th of July spirit best is “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa, the son of immigrants.

Artists with Disabilities Shine at Washington’s Kennedy Center

Lauren Monsen — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:01:51 GMT

The 2008 VSA arts International Young Soloists competition, which recognizes outstanding musicians and vocalists with physical disabilities, awarded top honors to an oud player from Jordan and a Senegalese hip-hop group, among others.

Kansas City Celebrates Its Legacy of Jazz

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:01:56 GMT

"While New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz, America's music grew up in Kansas City," brags a Kansas City Web site. The American Jazz Museum in the city’s historic 18th and Vine district draws visitors from around the world who want to explore America's rich culture of jazz or hear live music.

Poetic Theater Ensemble Enthralls Audiences on Six-Nation Tour

Lauren Monsen — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:02:45 GMT

A New York-based poetic theater ensemble called Universes -- which fuses elements of hip-hop, blues, jazz, gospel and Spanish bolero -- discusses a recent overseas tour to Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Romania, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom that has broadened the group’s fan base and musical horizons.

America Savors Its Music During Jazz Appreciation Month

Lauren Monsen — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:12:50 GMT

Each April, the United States celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), an opportunity to savor a major American contribution to world culture. Initiated by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, JAM aims to focus public attention on the music, and on the many talented composers, musicians and other contributors to the sound. John Edward Hasse, the Smithsonian’s curator of American Music, provides a brief history of jazz and related musical forms as well as information on places to hear performances by famous jazz musicians throughout history.

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Life Remembered in Words and Song

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:02:19 GMT

A new book and CD, issued in tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., are helping to teach U.S. schoolchildren about the history of their nation’s civil rights movement from its earliest days in the 1950s to the present, emphasizing the movement’s ongoing commitment to equality, justice and racial reconciliation.

Kennedy Center to Showcase Artistic Traditions of Arab World

Lauren Monsen — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:32:11 GMT

“The best way to learn about other people,” says Michael Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, “is through their culture.” Kaiser has spent the past four years shaping a three-week festival on the arts and culture of the Arab world. The festival will take place at Washington’s Kennedy Center early in 2009.

“Trailblazers” Honored by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Lauren Monsen — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:14:31 GMT

Artists honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 represent many of the genres that have shaped the vibrant American musical landscape. Pop icon Madonna, singer-songwriters John Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen, British rockers the Dave Clark Five and soul music producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff are among the most recent inductees.

Hip-Hop Exerts Influence on Contemporary Portraiture

Lauren Monsen — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:40:39 GMT

Hip-hop music has been a potent vehicle for creative expression, but its role in contemporary portraiture has received little attention -- until now. A new exhibition in Washington -- RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture -- shows how artists in a variety of media create portraits filtered through the prism of hip-hop culture.

U.S.-Mali Cultural Ties Enriched by Musicians, Filmmakers

Lauren Monsen — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:44:24 GMT

Mali and the United States enjoy a long-standing cultural partnership nurtured through exchanges, projects and tours, say U.S. diplomats. One diplomat predicts that the two nations’ friendship, reinforced by the close contacts among their artists, will set the stage for a successful visit to Washington by Mali’s president, Amadou Touré.

Jazz, America’s “Best Ambassador,” Breaks Down Barriers

Lauren Monsen — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:41:54 GMT

VOA broadcaster Willis Conover, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington were honored at a jazz festival in Washington, where their contributions to both jazz and international mutual understanding were discussed by current jazz stars from around the world.

Hip-Hop About "Giving Voice to the Voiceless," Rap Artist Says

Lauren Monsen — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:10:24 GMT

Hip-hop artists are part of a "global family" because of their shared passion for their music, says American rap artist Toni Blackman. Rap is "about giving voice to the voiceless," she says. "It can definitely be used as a tool for diplomacy.”