WASHINGTON, D.C. (MuseWire) – The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with American Voices, announced that the San Francisco-based chamber group Real Vocal String Quartet will tour Europe over the next month. They will travel to Azerbaijan (November 18 – 23), Macedonia (November 24 – 29), Bosnia and Herzegovina (November 30 – December 5), Latvia (December 6 – 11), and Lithuania (December 12 – 16) as part of the American Music Abroad series.

The American Music Abroad program sends American musical groups overseas to engage with audiences and communities, especially underserved youth. Tour activities will include public concerts, lectures, demonstrations, workshops, media outreach, and collaborations with local musicians. The program builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power,” which embraces the full range of diplomatic tools, including music, to engage people and create opportunities for greater understanding.

To promote cross-cultural understanding through music, this season’s 12 participating American Music Abroad groups were selected from a pool of nearly 300 applicants to travel to more than 40 countries. The 2012-2013 season will feature a variety of American musical genres, including urban/hip-hop, bluegrass, country, Americana, classical/jazz, rock/blues, and Hawaiian slack key guitar/hula.

For more information, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/cultural/ama.html

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