Festival opening night

Véronique de Lavenère is a senior lecturer in ethnomusicology at Sorbonne Université and a researcher at IReMus (Institut de recherche en musicologie) and CASE (Centre Asie du Sud-Est). She has served on the board of the Société française d’ethnomusicologie.

Her research in Laos and Southeast Asia focuses on multi-ethnicity and the diversity of musical heritage, including the many forms of the khaen (mouth organ). She also explores musical practice at the heart of traditional and contemporary performing arts. Carried out across Laos for nearly thirty years, her research has led to many musical encounters.

This dual approach, both scholarly and artistic — she is a flautist and khaen player — enriches her publications and her recordings, which have received awards from the Académie Charles Cros, and has contributed to the recognition of the khaen as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.