Iberi (GE)

RIYL: Ensemble Basiani, Zedashe, Trio Kavkasia, Kitka, Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Yat-Kha, Tenores di Bitti, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Polyphonic Complexity, call and response, Georgian tradition, Baroque choral, Palestrina.

They sing in centuries, not seconds. Iberi channels the ancient pulse of Georgia’s mountains and feasting tables into polyphonic thunder—sacred, secular, and soul-stirring.

Formed in 2012 and named after the ancient name for eastern Georgia, Iberi is far more than a choir. With roots deep in the UNESCO-listed tradition of Georgian polyphony, their approach is both reverent and restless. These six voices don’t just preserve—they reinvent. Drawing from church chants, lullabies, drinking songs, and regional ballads, they treat each performance as a living, breathing act of cultural improvisation. Theirs is a style that honors the past not by repeating it, but by singing it anew each time. What sets Iberi apart is their extroverted presence and dynamic range—rare among Georgian choirs. Instruments emerge from the folds of their harmonies, and so do feet: one member is a former professional dancer, adding kinetic energy to already explosive vocals. It’s not just a concert—it’s an embodied ritual, a Georgian supra by way of global stagecraft. Expect to be invited in. Expect to be moved. Expect to leave humming in modes older than borders.

Musicians: Luka Chigvinadze Tornike Dzadzamia Aleksandre Birkaia Bidzina Murgulia Nikoloz Birkaia Giorgi Janashia David Kavtaradze Archil Gibradze

Included in the AW25 season pass (not yet released)