The two-year project “The Network of European Bagpipers” is implemented by the Erasmus+ program and unites the representatives of 6 countries. The aim of the project is to safeguard and to promote specific part of ICH (bagpipes playing and making tradition).

In the framework of the project, on June 5-10, the director of the Research Center for Polyphony, Nino Razmaze, and bagpiper player Levan Berelidze visited Spain. They got acquainted with the technology of making Spanish bagpipes and the traditions of its performance.

The project was completed, which meant visiting the representatives of all six countries, making the bagpipes and promoting the tradition of playing it.

Project partners are:

• Suiti Cultural Heritage Foundation (Latvia) – Coordinating partner;

• Centre of Croatian traditional instruments (Croatia);

• Associazione culturale Multietnica (Italy);

• Asociación Gaiteros de Graus (Spain);

• Cech slovenskych gajdosov (Slovakia);

• Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire (Georgia)

See the booklet

International Research Centre for Traditional Polyphony of Tbilisi State Conservatoire and Anzor Erkomaishvili Folklore State Centre are inviting scholars working on the problems of polyphony to the 12^th  International Symposium on Traditional Polyphonic, to be held on September 25- 28, 2024.

The project “The Network of European Bagpipers”  is implemented by the Erasmus+ program and unites the representatives of 6 countries. (Bagpiper performers, masters and researchers) The project is two years long and aim of the project is to safeguard and to promote specific part of ICH (bagpipes playing and making tradition).

As part of the project, Bagpiper performers visited Georgia and Italy. They get acquainted with the technology of making Bagpipes and the traditions of its performance. The project is continuing, which involves visiting the representatives of all six countries, promoting the tradition of making and playing the Bagpipes.

Project partners are:

• Suiti Cultural Heritage Foundation (Latvia) – Coordinating partner;
• Centre of Croatian traditional instruments (Croatia);
• Associazione culturale Multietnica (Italy);
• Asociación Gaiteros de Graus (Spain);
• Cech slovenskych gajdosov (Slovakia);
• Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire (Georgia)

See the booklet

Introduction to Computational Ethnomusicology

A 3-days, hands-on workshop in Tbilisi

Sep. 20-22, 2023

Lecturer team: Frank Scherbaum, Nana Mzhavanadze,
David Shugliashvili, Levan Shugliashvili

Computational ethnomusicology (CE) is the application of computer science and computational methods to the study of music in diverse cultural contexts. It aims to analyze, represent, and understand musical traditions and practices through the use of computational tools and algorithms, such as machine learning and data analysis. The goal of computational ethnomusicology is to enhance the understanding of music across cultures and to provide new insights into the structure, meaning, and social aspects of music.

The aim of this three-day workshop is to provide basic practical experience in the use of computer tools for the study of Traditional Georgian Vocal Music. The central theme of the workshop will be the “Analysis of the tonal organization (tuning system) from audio recordings”.

The first day will consist of a crash course on the state-of-science regarding the acoustic and perceptual properties of sound, with special emphasis on “pitch” and “pitch determination”. For  the second day, it is planned that participants will make their own recordings of a Georgian three-part song, which will then be analyzed from different perspectives. On the third day, the results of the analysis of the recording experiment will be discussed, and finally, selected past and current projects on the study of traditional Georgian music using computer tools will be presented.

The workshop is intended for participants with basic computer skills who can bring their own computer (as well as headphones) and the willingness to engage with a highly interdisciplinary topic that touches upon music, acoustics, ethnomusicology and computer science. The workshop is limited to a maximum of 10 participants. To apply to participate, please send

1. a) an email with your resume (CV) and
2. b) a letter explaining your motivation and experience to fs@geo.uni-potsdam.de and polyphony@tsc.edu.ge not later than May 31, 2023.

The two-year project “The Network of European Bagpipers” is implemented by the Erasmus+ program and unites the representatives of 6 countries. The aim of the project is to safeguard and to promote specific part of ICH (bagpipes playing and making tradition).

In the framework of the project, on October 5-10, deputy director of the Research Center for Polyphony, Nino Razmaze, and bagpiper players: Murad Tavartkiladze and Tornike Skhiereli visited Croatia. They got acquainted with the technology of making Croatian bagpipes and the traditions of its performance.

Project partners are:

• Suiti Cultural Heritage Foundation (Latvia) – Coordinating partner;

• Centre of Croatian traditional instruments (Croatia);

• Associazione culturale Multietnica (Italy);

• Asociación Gaiteros de Graus (Spain);

• Cech slovenskych gajdosov (Slovakia);

• Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire (Georgia)

See the booklet