Béla Ágoston, jazz and folk musician, made a professional visit to Laos from 28 October to 9 November 2025.
The primary goal of his journey was to study the khaen, a bamboo mouth organ, and to showcase the richness of Hungarian folk music. The khaen is an integral part of Laos’ musical heritage having beeninscribed by UNESCO in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. During the two-week study trip, which was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Béla Ágoston held discussions with the president and honorary president of the Khaen Association, explored folk music recordings at the National Library, and visited the National Museum’s collection of traditional Laotian instruments.
He participated in numerous events, performing not only on the khaen but also on the saxophone and the traditional Hungarian bagpipe (kecskeduda). The highlight of his tour was the concert held on 7 November , where he performed alongside music instructors and khaen students from the National College of Arts in the school’s concert hall. The audience had the opportunity to discover Hungarian folk compositions and instruments during the performance.
