U.S. Department of State Announces Start to 2024 Music Diplomacy Slate with Jazz Greats Herbie Hancock and Dianne Reeves Travel to India

The U.S. Department of State announced today that American jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Dianne Reeves are in New Delhi and Mumbai, India, from January 14-24 as part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative.  Additionally, in recognition of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the U.S. Mission to India invited Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA Ensemble to perform and participate in education programs in New Delhi and Mumbai to promote peace and further foster the bonds between the peoples of the United States and India.

While in New Delhi, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, a concert pianist, performed with the Ensemble.  In Mumbai, Hancock and Reeves will be joined by celebrated Indian artists Sitar Maestro Purbayan Chatterjee and Tabla player Swarupa Ananth-Sawkar, an alumni of the Department’s OneBeat program.

The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which was launched by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in September 2023, aims to promote peace and cross-cultural connections through music, and supports broader U.S. foreign policy goals to expand access to education, economic opportunity and equity, and societal inclusion.  An integral part of the Initiative, the Arts Envoy program sends American artists overseas to engage audiences.