American Voices, Author at American Voices

Virtual Cooking Lessons in Guinea

Amanda Saab (@AmandasPlate), an American Muslim chef from Dearborn, Mich., demonstrates how to make simple and healthy recipes in the virtually for the US Embassy in Conakry, Guinea. #AmericanVoices #CulturalDiplomacy #ExchangeOurWorld

Virtual Graffiti Workshop in Dushanbe

Graffiti Artist WaAak shows off his skills during a virtual Arts Envoy workshop. WaAaKOne picked up all the aspects, elements, and life lessons of growing up in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. A born B-boy raised in Hip-Hop culture, WaAaKOne first rose to prominence as a graffiti artist. WaAaK eventually learned to break from writers…

Photography in Turkmenistan

In May prominent American photographer Margaret Steber, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Arts Envoy program, participated virtually in the opening ceremony of Turkmenistan’s International Photography Exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of their positive neutrality policy. Representatives of the Turkmen government, cultural institutions, and photographers from 15 countries participated. #ArtsEnvoy #AmericanVoices #culturaldiplomacy #ExchangeOurWorld

Dance in Israel

Arts Envoy Tami Stronach poses with students during her dance residency in Israel. She travelled to Israel and set Contain Yourself on students at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and taught at professional acting schools around the country. #AmericanVoices #CulturalDiplomacy #ExchangeOurWorld #CultureAtState

A Cappella in Equatorial Guinea

From August 24 – September 22, 2019, a cappella trio Freedoms Boombox spent time in Equatorial Guinea, a country on and off the west coast of Africa. Its capital city Malabo is located on one of its 5 off-shore islands, and the 3 singers met to engage with dozens of local artists with the help…

Maldives And Sri Lanka: Hip Hop And Contemporary Broadway

The Rhythm Nation Hip Hop Dance program brought workshops and performances to the sunny shores of The Maldives as well as to the misty highlands of Sri Lanka from October 30 to November 10. The Maldives: The capital city of Male’ was the setting for a Maldives-America friendship week celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations…

Hiplomacy Tour to Hit East Coast this October

We are excited to welcome First Step Iraq, comprised of dancers and rappers from our YES Academy Iraq, to the U.S. this fall! First Step Iraq will make performance stops in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Detroit and Boston as part of a “Hiplomacy” tour.

Christian Science Monitor on AV

Press release from interview with Christian Science Monitor https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/2013/0607/John-Ferguson-spreads-goodwill-for-America-through-the-power-of-music

Tajikistan: Hip Hop

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Kurdish Music at New England Conservatory

Three of American Voice’s scholarship students from Iraq were invited to the New England Conservatory to present workshops on Kurdish and Iraqi traditional music for the World Music program. John Ferguson and Marc Thayer spoke on Cultural Diplomacy and Engagement with students and faculty of the Conservatory.

China: Jazz Bridges Western China

Jazz Bridges project in May with Uighur traditional musicians in Urumchi, China The Mike Del Ferro trio (with Scott Amendola, drums and Paul Berner, Bass) toured Uighur Western China for one week in May 2007. Under the auspices of the US Embassy in Beijing and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the American Voices artists were…

Havikoro Breakin’ In Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy And Greece

In three weeks, HaviKoro of Houston toured four countries in Eastern and Western Europe reaching hundreds of thousands in Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy and Greece with their amazing Break Dancing skills. Georgia: Highlights of the tour were workshops and performances in the regional cities of Kutaisi, Rustavi and the capital, Tblisi. The extensive media coverage included…

Jazz Bridges Pakistan

Jazz pianist Mike Del Ferro toured Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi with noted Pakistani traditional and rock musicians Mike Del Ferro spent five days in four of Pakistan’s main cities performing with Pakistani traditional, pop and jazz musicians. The concerts took place on a variety of radio and television stations (Citi FM 89 Islamabad and MTV…

Russia: Moscow Conservatory Choir With Ira Spaulding

Ira Spaulding conducts and solos with the world famous Moscow Conservatory Choir under the leadership of Boris Tevlin American conductor and singer Ira Spaulding was invited to a return engagement conducting the Moscow Conservatory Choir at the U.S. Embassy’s Spaso House on January 23 in a concert featuring Russian folk songs and African-American spirituals. The…

Abdellah El-Miry Trio In St. Louis

In December 2011, Morocco’s internationally renowned Abdellah El-Miry Trio was hosted in St. Louis by American Voices. The ensemble was sent by the US Embassy in Morocco to study American bluegrass, as well as to perform a series of musical workshops. The Abdellah El-Miry Trio held a workshop and performance for new immigrants to the…

Iraq: Yes Academy And Mike Del Ferro

The YES Academy Kurdistan ran from July 10 to 19, 2009 and served more than 300 Iraqi youth in a national program touching lives from Baghdad and Basra to Erbil and Suleimaniya. There was a full program of Jazz, Hip Hop, Children’s theater and classical music. The academy culminated in a fantastic gala concert at Peshawa…