Programming

OneBeat Virtual 

OneBeat announces an exciting new series of virtual exchanges in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. OneBeat Virtual will digitally convene 70 musicians from up to 44 countries and territories in two independent virtual exchanges taking place July 12 – September 6, 2021 and September 20 – November 17, 2021. OneBeat Fellows will investigate new forms of virtual collaboration, form ensembles to write, produce, and perform genre-defying work, attend virtual masterclasses and open-studios, reimagine existing music, lead online workshops and produce a series of streamed performances and presentations for the public. Fellows will also have the opportunity to pursue self-directed projects during the Fellowship. These projects should address a particular community and be focused on community engagement and participation. We encourage the development of projects that explore innovations within a particular field of arts engagement, digital media, or technology.

OneBeat encourages the creation of innovative and multidisciplinary work, and the participation of musicians who are also filmmakers, dancers, poets, puppeteers, etc. During the program, Fellows will attend masterclasses from leading experts and offer skill-share sessions to one another on topics ranging from composition, music technology, business, and more. Each program will culminate in a series of streamed public performances and showcases. 

Fellows will be expected to participate in 28 full days of online/offline exchange time (virtual meetings, full-group sessions, breakout rooms, masterclasses and studio visits) over an eight-week period. Over the full eight-week exchange period, Fellows will participate in approximately 18 days of synchronous (online) sessions. There will be approximately two sessions per week (3-4 hours per session), and weekly full group meetings. Fellows will also engage in 10 days of asynchronous (offline) sessions where they will be expected to work on self-directed work, fellow-to-fellow collaborations, and other exchange related engagements. 

Fellows will receive a $1,500 USD honorarium as well as a per diem for the synchronous (online) sessions. To support OneBeat’s goals of equity and access, a small subsidy (based on individual need) will be provided to purchase approved audio equipment and enhanced internet connectivity. 

The free online application opens February 10, 2021 and closes March 10, 2021. Musicians and sonic artists, ages 19-35, from eligible countries and territories are invited to apply. Selected Fellows and Alternates will be notified by May 17th, 2021. Learn more about eligibility and selection criteria. For inquiries, please contact kyla@foundsoundnation.org.

OneBeat Lebanon

OneBeat is accepting applications for OneBeat Lebanon, the fifth installment of its OneBeat Abroad series, which will take place July 5 – 26, 2021. OneBeat Lebanon will explore the notion of music as ‘mother tongue’ (الموسيقى اللغة الأم). This virtual program will draw inspiration from the music of our ancestors, and the fundamental musicality that predates language itself, posing the question: “What if, in a parallel universe, music was the only language?” Participants from the United States and Lebanon will collaboratively create original music and music-based community programs that unite us across cultural and geographic divides, and re-imagine the musical languages of our shared future.

OneBeat, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation, has been redefining music diplomacy for the past decade.  OneBeat residency programs have convened hundreds of young pioneering musicians from 51 countries to dive into the musical unknown together and build a global network of artists committed to civic discourse. OneBeat Lebanon is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, produced by Bang On a Can’s Found Sound Nation, in partnership with The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon.

Applications due March 5, 2021

OneBeat Lebanon will digitally convene 10 Lebanon-based musicians and two U.S.-based musicians for an intensive residency to co-create original work and to develop civically engaged music initiatives. During the 3-week intensive digital residency, 12 OneBeat Lebanon Fellows will form ensembles to write, record, produce, and perform genre-defying work, re-invent existing music, lead online workshops with refugee youth, attend virtual masterclasses and produce a streaming final concert for the public. 

Applications from socially engaged musicians and sonic artists ages 19-35 from Lebanon and the United States will be accepted. The free online application opens January 29, 2021 and closes March 5, 2021 (lebanon2021.fsn-apply.org). Selected Fellows and Alternates will be notified by April 23, 2021. Artists will receive both a $1,500 USD honorarium as well as stipend for purchasing necessary audio equipment and enhanced internet connectivity.

To learn more about the eligibility and selection criteria and timeline, click here.

OneBeat Lebanon encourages the creation of multidisciplinary work, and the participation of musicians who are also filmmakers, dancers, poets, puppeteers, etc. During the program, Fellows will attend masterclasses from leading experts and offer skill-share sessions to one another on topics ranging from composition, music technology, business, and more. With the help of our partner organization Action for Hope, Fellows will work digitally with music students based at the Bekaa refugee camp in Central Lebanon, teaching a variety of music skills and co-creating original material with these talented youth. The Fellows will then present an online ‘marathon’ performance of the music they’ve crafted during the program, and will speak about their community work at home and during the program.

For inquiries, please contact ezra@foundsoundnation.org