The National Endowment of the Arts recently announced that Bounxeung Synanonh of Fresno, has received a National Heritage Fellowship award from the US government, one of only nine artists in the nation to receive the award this year.  He is being recognized for his mastery of the khaen, a traditional Lao instrument made from 16 lengths of bamboo. Born in 1949, Ajahn Synanonh began playing the khaen when he was youth in Savannakhet, Laos and performs internationally. Now considered one of the world’s best, Synanonh recorded an album titled “Bamboo Voices” under the World Music Institute label under the direction of Terry Miller, a world-renowned ethnomusicologist. One of his most famous performances was for President Reagan at the White House in 1987 for a cultural event. He also performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC where more 100,000 festival goers from around the world attended. He performed at the Lao Artists Festival in Elgin, Illinois, the International Lao New Year Festival, and many events organized by the Lao Heritage Foundation. He still performs energetically and teaches his art to the next generation of students. Ajahn Synanonh is now …