The Georgians are coming!
It is a very rare opportunity that 6 members of Didgori will be touring Canada from late May to mid June 2019. The last and only time a choir from Georgia was touring Canada was in the 1970s. This time, Didgori will not just be performing but also hosting singing workshops, with stops in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, and other parts or Eastern Canada. Scroll down to view their Canadian tour schedule to date.
The award winning Didgori ensemble has been performing internationally since 2004 and has toured Russia, Turkey, UK, France, Switzerland, Israel, Poland, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic and Latvia. Declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, the millennial old Georgian polyphonic singing tradition, with its close harmonies and untempered scales, is often described as transformatively visceral. It features 3-part singing in a variety of styles, from hauntingly melismatic lyrical genres to exploding counterpoint.
Have a listen to a sampler track compiled from Didgori’s most recent CD Singing as a Lifestyle
As can be heard from the variety of songs in the above sampler, Didgori are masters of a variety of Georgian musical styles, the wide variety of which reflects the diverse and complex landscape that has housed the Georgian people for thousands of years. Didgori is dedicated to the traditions of their ancestors through mastery and popularization of Georgian polyphonic folk songs and chants, and to the hope that their efforts will inspire future generations. The name, Didgori, honours a historical battle in 1121 that helped reunite Georgia and ushered in a period of growth in arts and culture.
Watch them perform (and even dance!) an Abkhaz round dance in the video above or listen to a performance of a chant in the audio player below.
Watch them perform (and even dance!) an Abkhaz round dance in the video above or listen to a performance of a chant in the audio player below.
Current Listing of Performances and Workshops
- May 30 2019 to June 2 2019 Edmonton International Choral Festival performances and workshops
- Jun 4 2019 7:30pm Winnipeg Singers present Didgori in concert at Crescent Fort Rouge United Church
- June 7 2019 8 pm Didgori in Toronto Concert at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
- Jun 8-9 2019 Didgori in Toronto Workshops
- Jun 10 2019 12 pm Kingston: St George’s Cathedral Concerts present June Choir Festival – Didgori
- Jun 12 2019 7:30 pm Quebec City: Didgori en concert à Québec
- Jun 13 2019 7 pm Sherbrooke: 2-6 PM Workshop and 7:15 PM Concert de chant Géorgien avec le chœur Didgori
- Jun 15-16 in Montreal 10 AM – 2 PM workshop for all levels at Centre des Musiciens du Monde info at www.Harira.ca
- Jun 15 8 PM in Montreal Didgori: Live in Concert at Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes info at www.Harira.ca
Take part in a Georgian singing workshop and join the thousands of voices before you that have contributed to this millennia-old folk tradition. Georgia, is located in the mountainous region of the Caucasus, the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Its ancient singing tradition, known for its distinctive and haunting harmonies, was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible masterpiece of humanity in 2001. The 3-part form defies Western conventions and comes in a plethora of musical dialects, reflecting the diverse geographical and cultural makeup of the land.
Take part in a Georgian singing workshop and join the thousands of voices before you that have contributed to this millennia-old folk tradition. Georgia, is located in the mountainous region of the Caucasus, the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Its ancient singing tradition, known for its distinctive and haunting harmonies, was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible masterpiece of humanity in 2001. The 3-part form defies Western conventions and comes in a plethora of musical dialects, reflecting the diverse geographical and cultural makeup of the land.
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