Fourteen music bands from the SAARC countries and observatory country France will perform in the national capital Friday, in the eighth edition of the South Asian Bands Festival.

Beijing's China National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra is positioned as the voice of that nation's younger generation. It's on a tour that both signals a turning point in the Philadelphia Orchestra's cultural exchange with China and has turned into a media frenzy.
 

Concert promoters, artists and curators said China was a culturally diverse country, its people citizens of the world, and their contemporary culture needed to be presented in a global context.

An array of young musicians from Colombia, Brazil, India, Zimbabwe, the U.S. and 12 other countries across the world are descending in the Bay Area this weekend in a free festival that celebrates unique sounds and collaborations.

The Kennedy Center’s president, Deborah Rutter, suggested that changes are coming to the country’s busiest arts center, including raising the profile of living composers and artists, exploring a new format for the center’s free venue and nurturing its affiliate symphony and opera programs.

As leaders from around the world gather at the United Nations this week for a global summit on climate change, the outlook is gloomy. The U.S, historically the world's worst polluter, can't even decide if man-made climate change exists. Meanwhile, China, the current king of greenhouse gas emissions, is reluctant to sign on to any climate change pact that would hinder its growth. All of which got me thinking about Sting.

Last night Ribab Fusion kicked off their month long tour in the United-States with a concert on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Ribab Fusion’s music celebrates Morocco’s Amazigh (Berber) culture, moving from 70s-style funk to Afropop dance vibes, from slow jams to high-energy call-and-responses choruses.

The University of Iowa took part in a national discussion Monday to relate culture, specifically music, in strengthening relations with other countries.  Hancher Programming Director Jacob Yarrow said he wants to bring a sense of empathy and perception to the UI, something that comes with these kinds of conversations.