Tuesday 21st May | 12 - 3pm | £12 / £8 / PWYC

Performance 12.15 - 2.30pm (with small interval)

After the raging success last year of one of our favourite shows ever to happen here, we are very happy to host another Maytime matinee from another Georgian ensemble - the wonderful Mtiebi & Amer-Imeri.

A group of singers drawn from Mtiebi and Amer-Imeri, renowned vocal ensembles from the Republic of Georgia, are touring the UK , teaching and performing polyphonic songs.

Mtiebi choir was founded in 1980 by the renowned ethnomusicologist, Edisher Garakanidze, and soon established itself as one of the foremost ensembles dedicated to pioneering the research and revival of the traditional singing and folklore practices of Georgia. Edisher was also a key figure in introducing Georgian polyphonic singing to the UK.

In 1991 Edisher and his wife, Nino Baghaturia, created a youth ensemble, Amer-Imeri, through which many current members of Mtiebi have trained.

The main creative principle behind both choirs is understanding and performing the songs alongside the folklore, dances and rituals that are integral to them. Younger singers in Amer-Imeri learn traditional Georgian children’s games and dances, and traditional instruments. They become familiar with the history and mythology of Georgia, and they learn church hymns and participate in divine service. The singers and teachers travel to different regions of Georgia and learn directly from tradition bearers, and the new generation of singers learn to perform songs freely and independently, without the guidance of elders, just as their peers historically sang in the countryside. And, having learned the traditions and made them their own, they create their own folklore, with improvisation and ornamentation of songs and lyrics, games, tongue twisters, and mocking verses!

Matinee: Georgian Ensemble - Mtiebi & Amer-Imeri

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