About Us

Ensemble Adilei consists of a group of friends who perform traditional Georgian songs and chants.

Most of us were introduced to singing in our families, or in children’s music groups. After informally singing together for several years, we officially formed our ensemble and started conducting regular rehearsals in 2012.

Adilei consists of 10 members: Lasha Bedenashvili, Giorgi Khukhunaishvili, Kote Chavleshvili, Sandro Natadze, Levan Bitarovi, Nodar Japaridze, Beka Buchukuri, Temur Darchia, Shota Katamadze, Demetre Kiria.

 

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 k’rimanch’uli, 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, and has toured extensively. 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.

 

Members of Adilei:

 

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