The U.S. Department of State recently hosted the OneBeat Institute's 'Resilient Futures' residency as part of its Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. This initiative aims to use music as a platform for promoting peace and democracy. The event took place from October 27 to November 7 and brought together five teams of OneBeat alumni and their community partners from Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, Türkiye, and Ukraine (via Portugal) for an intensive two-week exchange program in the United States.

These creative leaders participated in project-specific mentorship and strategic support sessions to refine their vision, develop curricula, and craft business and multi-year plans. The goal was to enhance their ability to enrich the creative economies in their home countries.

The fellows included composers, curators, musicians, graffiti artists, and filmmakers. They began with a weeklong residency in upstate New York where they presented unique entrepreneurial music and civic projects. They engaged in organizational and creative exercises while meeting guest artists and advisors. The program continued in New York City where participants deepened their collaboration through peer-to-peer learning and received professional mentorship from U.S.-based leaders across various sectors including business, arts, culture, technology, and education.

OneBeat was launched in 2012 as an annual U.S.-based residency and tour program aimed at bringing together early-career musicians worldwide to collaboratively create original music and develop innovative strategies for arts-driven civic engagement. Over the past 12 years, it has expanded into a dynamic array of year-round initiatives such as global residencies and tours, a virtual residency, an artist-industry incubation program, a podcast, and an alumni micro-grant accelerator program.

For more information on the OneBeat Institute, interested parties can contact eca-press@state.gov.