Preparations for Musica 2017 (Musica), the annual music festival organized by the Embassy of Italy, are at an advanced stage and will be running under the theme: The World coming together in Zimbabwe, the high profile international event will run from October 4 to 7 at the new Italian Club in Chisipite and at various other venues in capital. In a recent interview, the Ambassador of Italy to Zimbabwe Enrico De Agostini said the 10th edition of Musics will be bigger and better than ever before. 

 Governor Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Representative Charles Rangel announced the first-ever annual Harlem/Havana Music & Cultural Festival, an international visual and performing arts, fashion, education and culinary exchange celebrating the rich artistic connection between iconic cities Harlem, New York and Havana, Cuba.  

The event was seen as an "intercultural exchange" and so emphasis was put on not only international musicians working with local musicians, but also our management team working closely with government departments, to the point that we operated from the same site office as Empresa de la Musica at the festival venue. 

Beyond its setting, Tallinn Music Week enjoys at least one advantage over festivals closer to home — the Estonian national government clearly has no problem providing state funding for such an endeavor, as well as getting involved in other, more hands-on ways. [...] Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, however, appeared delighted to DJ at one of the festival’s gala events, presenting a selection of songs from Teenage Wildlife, a compilation of favorite songs from his youth that he released last year for a charity. 

To expand cultural exchange with other countries, the festival has started designating a guest of honor nation since 2013. South Korea has become the fourth such nation, following Russia in 2013, the U.S. in 2014, and China in 2015.

South African Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Rejoice Mabudafhasi is expected to speak at the on-going Ubuntu Music and Arts of South Africa Festival being held in New York City, United States, his office said Tuesday.

Very few American fans can see K-pop acts perform live. Some popular South Korean bands like Girls' Generation or 2NE1 have played showcases in major U.S. cities, and the girl group Crayon Pop just toured with Lady Gaga. Yet for most such acts, it's never made logistical or financial sense to play the States, despite a fervent fan subculture here. This year's KCON, the third installment of the annual K-pop festival in downtown L.A., might be changing that line of thinking.

"The Newport Jazz Festival is the finest celebration of jazz that the music world has to offer," said John Hailer, president and chief executive officer, Natixis Global Asset Management - The Americas and Asia. "In celebration of this year's anniversary, we launched the 2014 Jazz Diplomacy Project to share the history of jazz and explore the lessons the world has learned through the genre.