22nd UNESCO Week of Sound

Sound and politics
January 20 to February 2, 2025

Erik

Orsenna

Kendji

Girac

Sponsors of the 22nd edition

Erik Orsenna

An economist by training (commodities, international finance), Erik Orsenna spent eight years in ministerial and presidential cabinets, serving as cultural advisor to François Mitterrand, before joining the Conseil d’État.

For the past 15 years, he has been involved in companies involved in the necessary transitions (energy, recycling). Erik Orsenna is also a writer, winner of the 1988 Goncourt Prize, and the author of biographies and reports, notably on water.

A member of the Académie française since 1998 and an ambassador for the Institut Pasteur, he is also founder of an association for the defense of rivers.

For the past ten years or so, he has also taken part as a narrator in numerous musical performances.

His latest work, La cinquième saison, un roman vénitien (2024), is published by Robert Laffont.

“The sponsorship of this 22ndedition of UNESCO Sound Week, which I have accepted, takes on its full meaning from a convergence of facts. I occupy Louis Pasteur’s seat at the Académie Française, and for the past seven years I have had the immense honor of being an ambassador for the Institute that bears his name.

As well as being passionate about medicine, I’m also passionate about music. I took up the piano late in life, without knowing anything about learning it or music theory. Even though I’m a very bad musician, I feel I’m hearing better and better since I’ve been practicing.

In 2021, with cellist Henri Demarquette and pianist Michel Dalberto, and myself as narrator, we created the Fidelio trio, which tells Beethoven’s story of brotherhood and deafness.

At the same time, tinnitus settled in my ears, a sign of my declining hearing.

As a lawyer and urban explorer, I’ve come to realize that the real issues are not being addressed. Of course, there’s car traffic, but there’s also the nuisance of motorized two-wheelers. It’s crucial to look not only at the consequences, but also at the causes and the interactions between all the elements.

The theme of “Sound and Politics” makes perfect sense to me. As a former member of the Conseil d’État, and therefore a magistrate in the administrative order, it’s true that we can observe infractions in the field of sound. If peace is a kind of property, then sound is a way of entering a person’s private sphere.

At the same time as these medical and artistic issues, there is the question of living together in respect for this property called silence.”

Erik Orsenna

The interview

Kendji Girac

With five albums, six million copies sold, 2.5 billion views on YouTube and over 500 concert dates worldwide with two million spectators, Kendji Girac is the artist revealed by The Voice who has sold the most records worldwide. This year, he celebrates 10 years in the music business.

Born in Périgueux in 1996, he has been singing since the age of eight, accompanied by his father on guitar.

It was at the age of seventeen that Kendji Girac (real name Kendji Maillé) attracted attention with a cover of Maître GIMS posted on the Internet.
A few months later, Kendji joined the cast of season 3 of The Voice, before joining Mika’s team.

Grand winner of the show in May 2014, Kendji immediately met with success with his song “Color Gitano”, and his debut album recorded the best debut of the year with an original record.

On his sixth and latest album, entitled “Vivre”, Kendji reveals the essence of his gypsy pop universe.
Through eleven intimate, melodious tracks, he confides sincerely about his career to his public. His latest hit “Si seulement…” testifies to the unique bond that unites them.
The eleven tracks on the album include lyrics by Vianney, Ycare, Louane and Emma Peters.

Kendji is touring France in 2026, with an event concert at the Accor Arena in Paris on March 14.

The interview

The

Programme

Monday, January 20, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

OPENING EVENING with our patrons Erik Orsenna and Kendji Girac.

The opening evening of the XXIInd UNESCO Sound Week, whose theme is "Sound and Politics", will feature a number of highlights punctuated by our two patrons, Erik Orsenna and Kendji Girac, both fervent defenders of the cause of sound.
UNESCO Room 1
Tuesday, January 21 10:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES SURROUNDING THE URBAN NOISE ENVIRONMENT.

UNESCO is hosting a unique symposium, open to all, dedicated to the legal and political challenges of the urban noise environment. The day will bring together experts, lawyers, political decision-makers and local players to explore the impact of noise pollution in urban environments, analyze the existing legal framework and propose concrete solutions for a more harmonious noise environment.
UNESCO Room 1
Wednesday, January 22 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

PEDAGOGY

XIIth Forum des formations supérieures aux métiers du son, in partnership with FEMIS - Presentation of sound engineering schools
La FEMIS
Wednesday, January 22, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

IMAGE & SOUND RELATIONSHIP

National school competition "When sound creates image" Opening with Thomas Dutronc - Screening and awards ceremony for the school competition
UNESCO Room 4
Wednesday, January 22, 7:00-10:00 p.m.

HEARING HEALTH

An evening on urban noise pollution - Topics: medical advances and perspectives on age-related deafness, detection of hearing disorders, societal devices and solutions. Musical closing.
UNESCO Room 4
Thursday, January 23, 2:30 to 4:45 p.m.

SOUND ENVIRONMENT AND WELL-BEING

Afternoon devoted to the correlation between sound environment and well-being, with the CEPREMAP well-being observatory
Institut de l'audition - auditorium
Thursday, January 23 - 16h45-17h30

SOUND ENVIRONMENT

Visit the Institut de l'audition, free on reservation. (only 20 places available). Click here to register.
Hearing Institute
Thursday, January 23 - 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

IMAGE AND SOUND RELATIONSHIP, THE "SAINT-EX" FILM

Francis Wargnier, sound engineer and designer on the film Saint-Ex, will use concrete illustrations to illustrate the narrative, semantic and aesthetic dimension that Atmos sound has brought to the film. These demonstrations will be followed by a screening of the film Saint-Ex, released on December 11, in the presence of director Pablo Agüero.
Pathé Beaugrenelle cinema
Friday, January 24, 7:00-9:30 p.m.

SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCTION, THE SOUND ARCHAEOLOGY OF PARIS' NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL

World premiere: 60-minute documentary film-concert entitled Archeoconcert, le passé a des oreilles à Notre- Dame, an acoustic and musical journey through the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Cinéma Pathé Wepler