2023-09-28 22:06:14
To the sound of Muddy Waters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched a “Musical Diplomacy Initiative” on Wednesday evening intended to promote US foreign policy through music.
In this context, the United States will send renowned artists to Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the fall, as well as a philharmonic orchestra to China.
Herbie Hancock, accompanied by Dee Dee Bridgewater and the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Jazz Ensemble, will perform in Jordan in October, in memory of the historic Duke Ellington Orchestra concert in 1963, according to a statement from the State Department.
Herbie Hancock’s tour will continue in Saudi Arabia for four days of concerts, for the first time between the United States and the Saudi kingdom as the United States cultivates the Saudi ally and a historic rapprochement with Israel despite differences .
At the same time, the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in several cities in China from November 9 to 18, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its historic tour in 1973, a year following a trip by Richard Nixon to Beijing. A violinist who participated in this tour will be there.
Everything is part of this new “Musical Diplomacy Initiative” launched Wednesday evening by the head of American diplomacy, himself an amateur guitarist and who had fun playing a few notes from Muddy Waters during a ceremony at the department. of state.
The objective: to put music at the service of the ambitions of American diplomacy and to promote cultural exchanges.
The initiative plans a series of musical exchanges and collaborations, including sending hip-hop artists to Nigeria in September. The artist Quincy Jones also received an honorary prize on Wednesday evening, “peace through music”, during this ceremony which took place under the chandeliers of the Benjamin Franklin room at the headquarters of American diplomacy in Washington.
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