From January 19 to February 1, 2026, UNESCO's Sound Week returns for its 23rd edition around the theme "Sound and Innovations". For 140 years, Henri SELMER Paris has been exploring sound in all its dimensions: its pitch, its projection, its color, but also its impact on those who listen to it, practice it, and transmit it. As such, SELMER is a natural fit for UNESCO's Sound Week, an international event dedicated to the major contemporary issues surrounding sound.
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The UNESCO Sound Week - 2026 Edition
Sound, at the crossroads of science, creation, and universal experience
Organised in Paris (the first week), throughout France (the second week) and in more than 20 UNESCO member countries, the Week of Sound highlights the impact of scientific and technological advances on major contemporary issues: hearing health, sound environment, technological innovation and artistic creation.
A global event that invites the general public to discover how innovation is transforming the sound world to serve economic, health, cultural and societal challenges.
The 2026 edition is sponsored by two personalities with complementary perspectives:
- Pascal Lamy, diplomat and former Director-General of the WTO, will put into perspective the strategic role of sound in economic and social life.
- Barbara Pravi, singer-songwriter, who embodies the sensitive, artistic dimension of sound.
A rich and multidisciplinary program
For two weeks, conferences, round tables, concerts, debates and experiments will punctuate UNESCO's Sound Week.
Highlights in Paris include:
- January 19 – Opening evening at UNESCO: an evening dedicated to the dialogue between science and emotion, with Barbara Pravi accompanied on piano by André Manoukian.
- January 20 – Hearing Health Day organized in partnership with the Ear Clinic and the IHU Reconnect: medical innovations, artificial intelligence, inclusion, sound overcompression and gene therapy...
- January 21 – Sound environment and housing: reflection on acoustic comfort, sustainability and new technological solutions.
- January 22 – Recording and reproduction at the Philharmonie de Paris: Experimentation with a reference sound system with singer Flore Benguigui, in partnership with Universal.
- January 23 – Voice identity theft in the age of artificial intelligence: a forward-looking debate on the ethical issues of voice cloning, with 5 international experts.
The launch of the "Orchestras Weekend"
A major new initiative this year, the Orchestras Weekend, on January 24 and 25, 2026, will celebrate collective instrumental performance throughout France. Orchestras, wind bands, and ensembles will open their doors to the public for rehearsals, concerts, and discussions , promoting vibrant musical expression and inviting everyone to discover the joy and benefits of playing an instrument.
This approach echoes Henri SELMER Paris' long-standing commitment to passing on knowledge, collective practice, and the social bonds created by music.
A national and international mobilization
Beyond Paris, more than 40 French cities will offer events from January 26 to February 1: concerts, educational workshops, sound walks and meetings.
Internationally, the Week of Sound takes place throughout the year in many UNESCO member countries, confirming its unique role as a global platform dedicated to sound.
