Denyce Graves Chosen as U.S. Global Music Ambassador: YouTube Partners with U.S. State Department to Promote Peace

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. Department of State introduces the U.S. Global Music Ambassadors Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Armani White, BRELAND, Denyce Graves, Grace Bowers, Jelly Roll, Justin Tranter, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, and Teddy Swims. Watch the announcement with remarks from the U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and more here.

Emmy® and Grammy® award-winning, world-renowned opera star Denyce Graves, Founder of The Denyce Graves Foundation joins the ambassador roster in the June 24^{th, 2024} announcement.

By Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube/Google and Leslie Miller, Vice President, YouTube Public Policy:

On June 24^th 2024 the U.S. Department of State announces that YouTube is partnering with the U.S. State Department, demonstrating the power of music as a diplomatic tool for fostering cultural understanding. This collaboration is part of the State Department’s Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, a worldwide effort to elevate music as a diplomatic platform to promote peace and democracy.

This effort will be grounded by a remarkable group of Global Music Ambassadors representing different genres of music and generations of people. We are thrilled to share the inaugural cohort of ambassadors.

As the center of global music culture, YouTube is uniquely positioned to help amplify these voices. In addition to the new U.S. Global Music Ambassadors, this partnership will focus on several key areas:

• Micro-Grants for Social Impact: We will make investments to support U.S. exchange alumni internationally who are using music to drive positive change in their communities, expanding access to education, economic opportunity, and social inclusion.
• English Language Learning Through Music: We will assist State Department efforts to leverage music programming as an English language learning tool, opening doors to new opportunities for learners worldwide.
• Supporting the Creative Economy: We will support opportunity and equity in the creative economy through in-country engagements with audiences and aspiring creators, beginning in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, and India.
• Leveraging Global Events: We will utilize major international gatherings, such as the G20 meetings in Brazil to inspire action around the unifying power of music.

This new partnership was catalyzed by the bipartisan PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act, a 2022 law that authorized the State Department to work with the private sector to design and implement music-related exchange programs. We’re excited to be a part of the next chapter in music diplomacy, helping to amplify the voices of artists and strengthen our community bonds across borders.

About The Denyce Graves Foundation:

As a nonprofit organization anchored at the intersection of social justice, American history, and the arts, DGF seeks to expand the public’s understanding of the rich, multicultural history of classical music by bringing the stories of our nation’s hidden musical figures to light.

This is achieved through collaboration and alliance with renowned chroniclers, presenters and educators in history and culture, including The Smithsonian Institution, The Metropolitan Opera, Library of Congress, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, as well as with some of America’s elite Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Conservatories, and Schools of Music.

Founded by Emmy® and Grammy® award-winning, world-renowned opera star Denyce Graves, DGF celebrates trailblazing musicians, music educators, and composers of color through community engagement programs, concerts and presentations, creation of new works of art, establishment of young artist development training and more, as well as via social and traditional media. The Foundation sets the stage for true representation in American vocal arts by providing opportunities, access and exposure, that all singers need to take ownership of their talent and shape their own fulfilling careers. For more information, visit www.thedenycegravesfoundation.org.

Contact: Isabela Pazdzierski
The Denyce Graves Foundation
[email protected]
862-354-1851

SOURCE The Denyce Graves Foundation