Planina music group returns from Europe, performing “From Georgia with Love” on Saturday, March 9 at 8 pm. Swallow Hill Music 71 E. Yale St. in Denver. Planina in a celebration of the group’s 2023 cultural exploration in Caucasus Georgia performs with an evening of music, photographs and stories from Georgia, plus other favorites from the current repertoire.
Planina Music Group
Planina, a Boulder/Denver-based mixed chorus specializing in traditional music of the Balkans, Russia, and beyond, had an unforgettable two-week study trip to Georgia last July. Ten current members and one former member, accompanied by eight additional family members – including five younger travelers aged 3 through 15 – traveled to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and from there to rural areas east and northwest of the capitol.
“We worked with five groups of singers in three different folkloric regions,” said Planina’s director, Julie Lancaster. “We experienced the extraordinary hospitality, wine, complex history, and natural beauty the country is famous for. We returned with a wealth of new material, photographs and memories and are eager to share these treasures with audiences in Colorado.”
Located along the Silk Road, where Eastern Europe meets Central Asia, Georgia has musical traditions that are beautiful, unusual, and regionally varied. In fact, UNESCO has recognized Georgian polyphonic singing as a unique phenomenon in world culture, placing it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The tradition of singing together permeates the music of the country and old folkloric traditions have persisted there longer than in many other countries.
Besides enjoying making music together, Planina members are interested in the cultural context of the music they present. A few of the members were born in Eastern Europe or have Eastern European heritage; the group has made three study trips to Bulgaria over the past 25 years, and individual members have visited numerous other Balkan and Slavic countries.
At the March 9 concert, in addition to Georgian music, Planina will present tunes from Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania and Turkey. Some songs will be sung a cappella; others will be accompanied by instruments, including traditional folk instruments from Bulgaria and Georgia. Please join Planina for this very special concert!
Tickets range from $25 to $50 with details on their website at https://swallowhillmusic.org/event/planina/.