Ensemble Adilei is one of the finest and most innovative traditional music groups in the Republic of Georgia. In the course of my research and writing on Georgian folk and sacred music, which began in 2012, I have gotten to know many of the ensembles in Tbilisi and throughout the country. I first met the members of Adilei in 2016, when I was conducting fieldwork in Georgia. I was immediately impressed by their mastery of some of the most difficult and exciting pieces in the traditional repertoire. Despite their relative youth, they displayed admirable respect for the great masters of Georgian singing of the early twentieth century, whose sound recordings they studied avidly. At the same time, their performances were imbued with mischief and playfulness, not at all the solemn grandiosity sometimes associated with traditional music in the post-Soviet space. Later in 2016, I helped with the planning and logistics of their first tour to the United States, setting up shows in Western Massachusetts and at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In every location, audiences thrilled to their vocal pyrotechnics and their engaging, down-to-earth stage presence. As a group, they were easy to work with and thoroughly professional, always keeping to agreed-upon schedules and bringing their infectious enthusiasm to every public event. In addition to their talent as singers, they are experienced teachers and workshop leaders, able to work with singers of any level of ability or experience. In the years since our first collaboration, I have continued to work with the members of Adilei, both individually and as a group, and they have contributed their knowledge and
expertise to my own research, which has been recognized with awards and fellowships in music, anthropology, and history. With their commitment to international collaboration and innovative, improvisatory performance, they represent the future of Georgian traditional music.

To my deepest belief, ensemble “Adilei” today is the best ensemble of Georgian folk song. They have achieved a perfect balance between the deep emotionality, virtuosic singing, highest professionalism, boundless improvisation and brilliant scenic presence.

The pure joy of Adilei’s singing is fueled by a felicitous blend of spontaneity and superb musicianship. Adilei is one of the few Georgian choirs that truly improvises on the run—a musical high-wire act that amazes and delights. Simply put, Georgian polyphonic singing doesn’t get better than this.

A performance by ensemble Adilei is always brimful of youthful energy and musical surprises, springing from a deep knowledge of the traditional  heritage and the boundless possibilities of improvisation. Guaranteed to delight and inspire!

Adilei is not just a well-prepared and skilled choir, capable of performing various styles of traditional Georgian singing with competence and professionalism, ranging from the dissonant harmonies of Svaneti, to the drone style of Kakheti, and the contrapuntal singing of Guria with the yodeling Krimanchuli.
Adilei is also synonymous with ethnomusicological field research, carried out with passion and enthusiasm by a group of young singers dedicated to studying, documenting, and reviving the Georgian ethnophonic heritage. Beyond Georgia, Adilei has conducted concerts in Sardinia, Liguria, and the Italian Alpine region (Premana), while simultaneously teaching these repertoires in specialized workshops organized by cultural institutions, universities, and museums.

We have hosted the Adilei Ensemble many times in Italy and have participated together in festivals, concerts, and traditional music workshops. Their work is a valuable opportunity to gather and revive the repertoire of traditional Georgian songs. The Adilei Ensemble are not only ambassadors of Georgian music worldwide but also passionate scholars and innovators.