Shavnabada Choir, Georgia – "From Distant Mountains"

The renowned Georgian ensemble Shavnabada, founded in Tbilisi in 2005, presents Georgian polyphonic singing in its most striking form. The group is dedicated to preserving and popularizing Georgian vocal polyphony, recognized by UNESCO in 2001 as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. In a 75-minute program, twelve performers present musical dialects from different regions of Georgia — from melismatic and lyrical songs to the region's distinctive yodel-like singing and centuries-old traditional instruments — alternating traditional Christian and pagan songs with contemporary Georgian music, with each piece introduced with brief context on its history and meaning. The ensemble has performed at prestigious international stages and festivals and is regarded as a world ambassador of Georgian polyphonic singing.