10 quartets (total) will be selected to tour the 2011-2012 season. Alternate bands will also be chosen and in the event that one of the finalists is unable to tour, an alternate group will be selected as a replacement.

On December 17th all bands will be notified if they were selected or not. Selected bands will be invited to auditions. The bandleader of each finalist band will be notified by both phone and email.

Tours will take place from April 2011–Feb 2012. Each ensemble will visit a region such as Africa, Asia, the Balkans, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Selected ensembles will complete a survey indicating regional preferences and calendar availability. The exact dates of travel for each quartet will be determined in conjunction with musicians, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the U.S. Department of State.

Each tour is approximately one month long, though program commitment includes non-tour activities (i.e. orientation, domestic concerts, etc).

International tour activities include public concerts, official functions, master classes, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, jam sessions, media outreach and collaborations with local musicians.

Selected quartets will also perform two free performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and at The National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.

All events nationally and internationally may be recorded and broadcasted non-commercially.

Applicants must be amenable to rigorous traveling and performance conditions, as touring regions and itineraries may be challenging. Often there is more than one event, performance, workshop, etc. scheduled on a given day.

If selected, musicians must be able to provide and transport their own backline to all touring destinations. Musicians are required to travel as lightly as possible while still covering their musical needs. Upright basses, full drum sets and other oversized equipment are highly discouraged and often impossible to transport.

Musicians must be self-sufficient. There is a great deal of support throughout the tours from the Rhythm Road staff (U.S. based) and the U.S. embassies abroad.

There is a $200 honorarium per tour day, per musician.

Each musician will receive per diem to cover meals and incidentals as well as lodging based on State Department guidelines specific to each city. More information about foreign per diem rates can be found here.

The only expenses musicians can expect to incur are personal ones (i.e. souvenirs, etc).

Expenditures for oversize instrument/excess baggage are reimbursed upon return via submitted original receipts. The exact charge(s) will vary and are sometimes negotiable depending on the countries visited.

All flights are economy class. We ask embassies to book musicians in quality hotels that meet State Department security and per diem standards.

A musician who is selected as a finalist for two consecutive years must wait one year before applying to the program again.