Please join the Cultural and Educational Foundation and the Harriman Institute for an evening of Georgian culture with Dr. Gia Bagashvili. Welcome and introductions by Julie George.
In the forthcoming lecture titled “Georgia: The Cradle of Wine and Polyphony,” Dr. Gia Bagashvili presents an in-depth exploration of Georgian culture. Drawing connections between the nation’s revered tradition of polyphony and its ancient vinicultural practices, the presentation will feature rare audio-visual materials sourced from the national archives, offering insight into Georgia’s rich cultural heritage.
Following the presentation, the Dancing Crane Cultural Center’s Zekari ensemble will join Dr. Bagashvili for a few performances.
George (Gia) Bagashvili (Ph.D.) is a prominent Georgian ethnomusicologist, scholar, musician, and professor at Caucasus University. Outside of his research and functions as a creative director for several musical projects, including one of the country’s highest-ranking musical night TV shows, Gia is actively delivering lectures about Georgian culture, focused on polyphony and folklore. He has been invited to give his talks at Harvard University, Stanford University, Madrid Royal Conservatoire, LCC University, Baltic International Academy, EPLO, Norwegian Academy of Music, the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, and the like. The lectures delve into topics such as the performing traditions of Georgian musical folklore, forms of polyphony and their characteristics, Georgian musical dialects, urban folklore in the light of multicultural traditions, gender aspects of Georgian folk music, etc.
