This will be Village Harmony’s 21st singing workshop in Caucasus Georgia, a small mountainous country about the size of West Virginia between the Black and Caspian Seas. Georgia boasts one of the world’s most ancient—and exciting—polyphonic singing traditions, with a dark, sonorous vocal quality, untempered intervals and striking harmonic convergences unlike anything in European music.

In this camp we will learn songs from both western and eastern Georgia, with specific focus on the highly melismatic and improvisational folk songs of K’akheti region.

The 15-day long camp will be based in Sighnaghi, Kakheti, a historic walled hill-town with a breathtaking view of the Alazani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains about 1-1/2 hours’ drive east of Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital.

Housing and rehearsals will take place in Village Harmony’s “own” retreat center—a cluster of three renovated historic homes on a side street near the old center of town, amidst winding cobbled streets and hillsides flecked with persimmon, walnut, fig and pomegranate trees.

Participants will work on tuning, ornamentation and vocal projection under the instruction of Ensemble Zedashe director Ketevan Mindorashvili. Long-time Zedashe member Tamila Sulkhanishvili will teach the group a set of east Georgian Orthodox chants. Daily instruction in Georgian dance will be led by choreographer Vano Chincharauli. Instrumental instruction (panduri, chonguri, drum) will also be offered. Village Harmony alumna and teacher Sinead O’Mahoney will coach the group in a set of American and other genre songs to add variety to our concert program.

The program will begin with a welcome feast at Pheasants Tears restaurant. Extra-curricular activities while in residence in Sighnaghi will include cooking lessons, a bread-baking (tonis p’uri) session, hikes and picnics, workshops with singers from Telavi, and wine-tastings. 

We will be offering an optional 7-day post-camp trip to Svaneti in the far northwest to meet up with master singers, do some hiking and exploring, and generally experience the wonder of Georgia’s geographic diversity as we make our way there and back.

Transportation to and from Tbilisi, Georgia are not included in the tuition.

Click HERE to read more about the teaching staff and retreat center for this camp session.