Ensemble Adilei performs traditional Georgian polyphonic songs and chants as part of their American tour Tuesday April 23,  at Welcome Table Christian Church.
Adilei’s main passion lies in the songs from the province of Guria in Western Georgia (though other regions are also represented in their repertoire). Gurian music is sometimes compared to jazz, because of the emphasis on improvisation, and non-parallel movement in all the voice parts. Gurian song is also characterized by a yodeling technique often present in the upper voice.
For the members of Adilei singing is the primary mode of communication with the world: it is more of a lifestyle than a performance practice and is not just relegated to official concerts. They sing every time they gather, wherever that may be.
The ensemble has toured in a number of European countries, and participated in several notable folk music festivals, including the International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony in Tbilisi, the Mare e Miniere festival in Sardinia, and the Zlatne Uste Golden Festival in New York. During their first US tour, the group conducted workshops, lectures, seminars, and concerts at Dartmouth, Columbia, New England Conservatory, Yale, and other universities on the East Coast, as well as a number of more informal and intimate venues.
The group is touring with Ana and Madona Chamgeliani. They specialize in songs from the mountainous province of Svaneti, where they grew up. Georgian female musicians are not too well represented abroad, and these women are nothing short of a treasure, especially with respect to their deep knowledge of the contexts and traditions that surround the songs they perform and Ana's virtuosic abilities on the ch'uniri (a 3-string bowed viol, traditionally played in Svaneti and a few other surrounding provinces).

Listen and Watch!

Suggested contribution $20/person, potluck at 6:30, show at 7:30.

Bringing potluck is optional but please do bring something if you like to cook.