Viva America

Viva América was an American musical radio program which was broadcast live over the CBS radio network and to South America over the La Cadena de las Américas (Network of the Americas) during the 1940s (1942–1949). All broadcasts of this program were supervised under the strict government supervision of the United States Department of State and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA) as part of the United States Cultural Exchange Programs initiative authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (via Voice of America) during World War II through the Office for Coordination of Commercial and Cultural Relations (OCCCRBAR).

This imaginative program represented a unique collaboration between government and private industry during the turbulent World War II era in an effort to foster cultural exchanges throughout the Americas. It featured live performances of the CBS Pan American Orchestra under the musical direction of the noted conductor Alfredo Antonini. It was conceived in an effort to foster benevolent diplomatic relations throughout the Americas during World War II by showcasing the talents of a wide variety of respected professional musicians. In this regard, it proved to be highly successful and functioned under the direct supervision of the Department of State as a cultural exchange program (as opposed to a propaganda program). Included among the renowned soloists from both North and South America were: Juan Arvizu (the Mexican "Tenor with the Silken Voice");Nestor Chayres (Mexican tenor - aka "El Gitano De México");Eva Garza (Mexican songstress);Terig Tucci (Argentine composer/arranger) and John Serry, Sr. (an American concert accordionist and featured soloist).

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