Professor Dr. LaVerne de la Peña

LaVerne David C. de la Peña obtained his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaii. Research areas include Benguet Kankana-ey, Tagalog, and Filipino hiphop. He has presented papers and lectures on burial rites and prestige feasts in Buguias Benguet as well as repartee singing and drinking events in Sariaya Quezon.
He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in composition from the University of the Philippines and has written music for various ensembles, including chamber, choral, dance and theater. His works have been published and performed in parts of Asia and America. His most recent work is Putri Anak, a theater piece premiered at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in April of 2017. The work fuses the Philippine Spanish colonial genre called komedya with Southeast Asian stylistic elements.
As a member of the faculty in the University of the Philippines College of Music, he handles graduate and undergraduate courses in world music as well as Philippine music and musicology. He has given lectures and seminars all over the country and internationally. He is also music director of Tugma (Tugtugang Musika Asyatika), a student ensemble specializing in Philippine and Asian music. Since 2011, he has been producer and host of the weekly program in the university radio station titled Tunog at Tinig featuring Philippine music. He is currently the Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Music as well as Director of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology.
Dean, College of Music,
University of the Philippines
and
Director of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology
Presentations
2022: Tradition and Innovation: People, Places and Practices of Bamboo Music in the Philippines
2021: Traditions in Transition: Mapping the Past, Charting the Future
2020: The Day the Music (Almost) Died: a Reflection on Music Communities in Times of Turmoil
2019: Return and Transfer: Music Intervention Initiatives at the UP Center for Ethnomusicology