Contemporary composition for the traditional Lao free-reed mouth organ khaen

Abstract

The khaen is a bamboo free-reed mouth organ prominent among people of Lao ethnicity in Laos and Northeast Thailand and is likely related to ancestors of other Asian free-reed instruments as well as to Western free-reed instruments. New Musical Geographies is an ongoing project by composer/performer Christopher Adler to promote the khaen as a concert instrument in the Western contemporary concert music tradition by encouraging the composition of new works for the instrument. To date, the project includes 17 solo and ensemble compositions by six composers. The diverse compositional strategies of these composers and their relationships to traditional performance techniques and musical structures will be discussed. The presentation will include the performance of selected compositions and examples of traditional-style improvisations.