Tbilisi State Conservatoire

December 12
ENSEMBLE SHAVNABADA
Start time: 7.30PM
Ticket: 5-20 GEL

The ensemble counts 15 members who share a love of Georgian traditional songs. Even though each member has a different profession and background, every week after work they gather at their studio to rehearse.

The founder of Shavnabada told us he and his group members grew up together and almost all of them used to sing in folk music ensemble ‘Martve’ which has brought up generations of musicians and singers in Georgia.

“Almost everyone in this ensemble was taught how to sing in Martve,” Dato Tsintsadze told us. “After we grew up and realized that we were not kids anymore, we decided to found our own ensemble. I discovered old records of Georgian folk music made by famous British studio Patefon Records, which traveled throughout Georgia in 1901-1914 and recorded songs characteristic to the country’s different regions. This was the very thing that fueled my lust to revive traditional centuries-old Georgian folk music. Georgian chants and polyphony have undergone times of hardship; during the Soviet Union, the churches were closed that hindered the development of Georgian gospel. That was followed by a dark period in the history and culture of Georgia in the 1990s, so traditional music was forgotten and put in the shadow for some time. That is why the restoration and the preservation of our culture and songs became the core aim of our ensemble”.

“Georgian folk music enables me to be the link between past and future. Through singing traditional Georgian music, that comes from our ancestors, and transferring it to the new generation, you become a connecting bridge between past and future. Georgian music is really special, since it’s an integral part of Georgian culture, like winemaking, Georgian national dances, architecture etc.,” he said.