UP Center for Ethnomusicology, Philippines
LaVerne David C. de la Pena obtained his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaii. His 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 has given lectures and seminars on the same areas all over the country and internationally.
Dr. de la Peña received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in composition from the
University of the Philippines. He has written for various media, including chamber, choral,
dance and theater. His works have been published and performed in parts of Asia and America. His most recent large work is Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya, a theater piece premiered at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in April of 2017 and restaged in UP Diliman in August the same year. The work fuses the Philippine Spanish colonial genre called komedya with Southeast Asian stylistic elements.
He is Professor for Musicology at the University of the Philippines College of Music. As the Director of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology, he leads ReCollection, a flagship program that Revisits, Repatriates, and Recollects music from the research sites of UPCE Founder and renowned ethnomusicologist, Jose Maceda. He also spearheaded the bigger goal of establishing Community Documentation Centers in far-flung localities in the country. Aside from being the UPCE Director, he was the Dean of UP College of Music from 2017 to 2024. He is currently Vice Chairman, UNESCO Memory of the World National Committee since 2022.