“Network of UNESCO recognized values” – Fourth meeting of partners in Tbilisi, 7-11th of October, 2019.

The aim of the project is to build a network of the organizations representing Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) which is important for sharing experiences, best practices and tools for the safeguarding of traditional culture. The network will also increase the administrative capacity of the partner organizations.

International Research Center for Traditional Polyphony of Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire and the International Centre for Georgian Folk Song are pleased to announce that the scholars working on the problems of polyphony are invited to participate in the 10^th  Anniver­sary International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony, on 20–24 October, 2020, in Tbilisi, Georgia.

One of the features of the symposium is the diversity of themes, which is allowed by the interdisciplinary character of ethnomusicology.

Official languages of the Symposium are English and Georgian. All the papers will be published after the symposium in both English and Georgian.

Complete information including the history of previous symposia, information on the participants, contents of the bilingual books of proceedings with full texts of all symposium papers and about the International Research Center for Traditional Polyphony of Tbilisi State Conservatoire is provided at the Web Site: www.symposium.polyphony.ge

On 12-22 July, Khulo, Shuakhevi and Keda municipalities of Achara will host a scientific-musical expedition. The expedition is will be realized as part of the three-year (2018-2021) project “Computational Analysis of Traditional Georgian Vocal Music”, with the financial support of German Research Foundation. The project aims to the documentation of Georgian traditional songs with new technologies.

Presentation of the book “Yvette Grimaud and Georgian Song” will be held at the Grand hall of Tbilisi State Conservatoire at 19:00 on June 13, 2019.

Yvette Grimaud is a legendary French ethnomusicologist, who, after 7 years of correspondence with the Conservatoire professors Shalva Aslanishvili and Grigol Chkhikvadze and interference of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, managed to overcome the obstacles of the KGB and came to Georgia to record unique folk songs.

Tbilisi State Conservatoire, the Folklore State Centre of Georgia, and the Georgian Chanting Foundation will hold a concert “The Singing of the Chveneburebi of İnegöl” at Tbilisi Rustaveli Theatre on April 15 and at Batumi Drama Theatre on April 17. The evening will also include a presentation of the book Georgian Polyphony in Western Turkey: In the Footsteps of Peter Gold which was presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair last year.

The evening will host a performance of folk songs and dances of Acharians who resettled in İnegöl (Turkey) at the end of the late 19^th century. Of all the Georgian populations in Turkey, the İnegöl Georgians have best preserved traditional vocal and choreographic culture. Their repertoire includes Abkhazian dance folklore as well.

The publication comprises expedition recordings of traditional song and dance music from İnegöl; including the audio recordings and transcriptions collected by a great Georgian from Turkey, Ahmet Özkan Melashvili (1965-1966), the expeditions of American anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Peter Gold (1968), and Tbilisi State Conservatoire in collaboration with Trabzon University State Conservatory (2015, 2018).