It’s the season for embassy soirees in the nation’s capital, and the public is invited to attend a series of concerts and receptions — not just for the music, but also as a way to sample the social whirl of the diplomatic set on a trip to Washington.

Three groups from the 25th Infantry Division Band will travel to Russia and China Sept. 3-13 to perform at different events and represent the United States military.

Chopin provides a rare opportunity for Poland to promote itself abroad. Despite being one of the six big nations of Europe, alongside Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain, Poland's intellectual and artistic achievements are of a lower caliber....The Polish government has seized on the anniversary as a way to promote the country, drawing on the global popularity of Chopin in order to present a more modern image of Polish culture.

Today, the State Department is reaching out to foreign publics in partnership with major private sector partners including Jazz at the Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music as well as maintaining its own program of visits, exhibitions and tours.

Chinese people are familiar with the slogan of "Let Chinese culture go abroad". However, there seems to be some misunderstanding, with many mistakenly thinking that "Chinese culture" only means traditional Chinese culture.

The Turkish and Armenian Youth Orchestra is gathering for peace in Turkey. A total of 70 people will come together for three concerts. This is not diplomacy or football, it’s young people meeting in an international environment based in music, says the orchestra’s conductor, Nvart Andreasyan.

...Initiatives in Education, Science and Culture Towards Enhanced US-Muslim Countries Collaborations aimed to focus on concrete projects and initiatives in those three areas, and not on divisive political issues such the Israeli-Palestine conflict and Iraq.

Any performance, but particularly if it’s an impromptu jazz performance or jam session, is a matter of communication -- one may even say, diplomacy...Such was the case during the special performance of the New York City-based Mark Sherman-Tim Horner Jazz Quartet on June 17 at the official residence of US Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. in North Forbes, Makati [Philippines].