Imagine 25 musicians who have never met each other getting together to perform music.
Throw in the language barrier as each of the musicians are from 17 different countries.
The task seems like it would be daunting, but Christopher Marianetti has found a way to master it.
Marianetti is a co-founder of Found Sound Nation, which produces OneBeat.
OneBeat, which is an adventurous new model of cultural diplomacy, brings 25 musicians (ages 19-35) from 17 countries around the world to the United States for one month to collaboratively compose, produce and perform original music and develop strategies for social engagement through music.
This year, the musicians spent their time at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, Calif.
Now in its third year, it is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Marianetti says OneBeat is an incubator for music-based social entrepreneurship where innovative musicians from around the world launch collaborative projects designed to make a positive impact on local and global communities.
“It is cultivating a groundbreaking international network of sonic change-makers, leading artistic, technological and social innovation in music,” he says.
Marianetti, a former Albuquerque resident, will make a stop with OneBeat on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Albuquerque Rail Yards.
“It’s exciting to get this initiative back to where I’m from,” he says. “The music that these musicians are producing together is something that needs to be seen.”
Marianetti says during the first two years, the tour stayed mostly on the East Coast.
He says being able to see the musicians come together and perform is special for his team.
“The last couple of years I’ve been able to see this community of people come together and work well as a group,” he says. “All of these cultures are coming together. After the program is over, many in the group stay in touch and they collaborate with each other on other projects. It’s a stepping stone for many of these musicians.”
Marianetti says there will be a mixtape made that will have the songs the group is working on. There also will be short films that chronicle each performer’s journey.
“Some of it is up online right now,” he says. “It’s a great way to get to know these performers.”
In addition to the performances, there will be the one-night art exhibit, “You are the Doorway.”
The exhibit showcases projects by local and national artists working with projection, technology and social engagement. It is curated by Albuquerque artist Billy Joe Miller in partnership with 516 ARTS and OneBeat.
Artists include Lea Marta Andersson, Ellen Babcock, Corvas Brinkerhoff, Michelle Montjoy, William Feeney, Lance Ryan McGoldrick, Augustine Romero, Adam Wohlwend and Cedra Wood, with video work by Temujin Doran, Jackson Glasgow, Karen Hipscher and the University of New Mexico Arts Lab, and performance art by Edie Tsong.
