Found Sound Nation (FSN) is a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

-based creative agency and

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that uses music-making to connect people across cultural and societal divides. FSN is composed of musicians and artists who use collaborative sound-making as a tool of music diplomacy to help enhance communities and build bonds both locally and internationally.

History

Found Sound Nation's work began in 2007 through an organizational partnership with

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the c ...

. Founders Chris Marianetti and Jeremy Thal began the work of FSN with music production and songwriting workshops at the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx. The organization was incorporated as an 501(c)3 non-profit in 2015. In 2023, Jeremy Thal left Found Sound Nation to focus on music composition and production projects. Found Sound Nation has organized numerous domestic and international workshops, performances, tours, and residencies.

Notable projects

Found Sound Nation has been involved in a number of projects all over the world, with some of its largest being the annual international music diplomacy program: OneBeat, a partnership with The US Department of State's

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...

(2012-2025), the Dosti Music Project, a partnership with the

Embassy of the United States, Islamabad The Embassy of the United States in Islamabad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Pakistan. The embassy in Islamabad is one of the largest U.S. embassies in the world, in terms of personnel, and houses a Chancery (diplomacy), chanc ...

(2015-2016), Sound Bridge (2023-2024), a partnership with the

Embassy of the United States, Yerevan The Embassy of the United States of America to Armenia () is the diplomatic mission of the United States to Armenia. It is located adjacent to Lake Yerevan along the Yerevan-Etchmiadzin highway. The site occupies an area of ; which is currently ...

, and The American Music Mentorship Program (2025), a partnership between the State Department and

The Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

®.

Programming and works

Found Sound Nation's work falls under three major themes: Cultural Exchanges, Music & Conflict, and Public Works

Cultural Exchanges

OneBeat (2012–2025)

A collaboration with the United States Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, OneBeat's U.S. program brought together artists from around the world to the U.S. for a month-long residency and tour program. Other programs included OneBeat Abroad, an global offshoot featuring OneBeat Sahara, OneBeat Lebanon and other international editions.

Music & Conflict

Horizons Juvenile Center (2011)

In connection with Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections Program, Found Sound Nation led empowering music production workshops at Horizons Juvenile Center.

Dosti (2014–2016)

A collaboration with the United States Embassy in Pakistan, Dosti brought together eight musicians from Pakistan, India and the United States for a U.S. residency and tour.

Sound Bridge (2023–2024)

In collaboration with the

, Sound Bridge united musicians from

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

for a creative and cultural exchange program. Since its inception in 2023, the program has brought together 24 artists from the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

encouraging creative dialogue and mutual understanding through the medium of music and the sonic arts.

Public Works

APV India (2009)

Found Sound Nation's Chris Marianetti collaborated with students and teachers at Ashram Paryavarn Vidhyalaya School (APV) in the northern Indian Himalayan region of Uttarakhand to create soundscapes made from field and studio recordings.

Play Me I'm Yours (2010)

Found Sound Nation remixed and documented

Luke Jerram Luke Jerram (born 1974) is a British installation artist. He creates sculptures, large artwork installations, and live arts projects. Artwork Jerram's work has been featured in over 900 exhibitions and is in over 50 permanent collections, incl ...

’s public art project, Play Me I’m Yours, which placed pianos in public spaces around New York City.

Cine Institute (2012)

Found Sound Nation helped Haitian film students record and produce original music for their films and assisted them in creating a sound library for future use.

Lucerne Studio (2013)

Found Sound Nation set up a mobile ‘street studio’ to record and spontaneously compose music with musicians and passersby at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland.

FSN Presents (2014–2017)

An ongoing genre bending concert series highlighting emerging artists and composers. A recurring program was hosted at Redhook's

Pioneer Works Pioneer Works is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit cultural arts center in the Red Hook, Brooklyn, Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City that was founded by artist Dustin Yellin in 2012. Pioneer Works includes a large exhibition spac ...

Big Ears Festival (2014, 2015)

Found Sound Nation set up interactive Street Studios during Knoxville's annual Big Ears Festival.

Street Studio Cities (2015–2022)

Found Sound Nation partnered with producers from NYC to set up mobile “street studios” throughout the city. The producers engaged with passersby to spontaneously create improvised jam sessions that were later turned into full-length tracks and shared online. Street Studio Cities was sponsored by

Harman International Harman International Industries, Inc., commonly known as Harman, is an American audio electronics company. Since 2017, the company has been operating as an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut ...

References

{{reflist Music organizations based in the United States