Kavkasia Trio: traditional vocal music from the Republic of Georgia

KAVKASIA
Trio Kavkasia in Tbilisi

Alan Gasser, Stuart Gelzer, and Carl Linich

A Trio Performing Traditional Vocal Music
from the Republic of Georgia

About Kavkasia Past Events Upcoming Events Albums Reviews

Georgian for 'Trio Kavkasia'

KAVKASIA (meaning "Caucasus") consists of three Americans who together have more than forty years of experience singing the traditional music of Georgia. In 1994 we formed a professional vocal trio dedicated to studying and performing that music. In the years since then, we have performed everywhere from Lincoln Center to the Tbilisi Opera House.

We sing concerts and lead workshops in North America, and we have made several extended visits to Georgia to study with singers there, both in professional ensembles and in remote villages. In 1997 each of us was made a State Prize Laureate and was awarded the Silver Medal of the Georgian Ministry of Culture "for profound knowledge of the folk music of Georgia and his role in its popularization around the world."

Anzor Erkomaishvili congratulates
the new laureates

KAVKASIA'S ALBUMS

Recording session at Holy Cross Monastery
in West Park, NY

All of Kavkasia's albums are available directly from us
as well as in stores.

TO ORDER CDs:
in the United States
in Canada or the rest of the world

(If you use webmail, or the order link fails, email <sgelzer@umw.edu> for U.S. orders or
<argasser@gmail.com> for Canada and the rest of the world.)

The Fox & the Lion

Kavkasia's newest album, The Fox and the Lion (2006),
on the Traditional Crossroads label, features rarities of the Georgian folk repertoire.

Here's a brief review of The Fox and the Lion by ethnomusicologist Ted Levin
in BBC Music Magazine (September 2007):

"Trio Kavkasia exuberantly quashes the myth that world music traditions are most authentically represented by indigenous musicians. This threesome hails from North America, but here they render Georgian vocal polyphony's often weird-sounding harmonies and scale tunings with precision and panache. Recorded in a Benedictine monastery in New York, the music sounds lush and resonant, revealing the Trio's nimble counterpoint, angular voice-leading, and strident chord tunings in all their dissonant glory."

O Morning Breeze

Kavkasia's second album, O Morning Breeze (2001)
is on the Naxos World label.
Our website includes expanded liner notes, full lyrics translations, and many photos.

Songs of the Caucasus

Kavkasia's first album, Songs of the Caucasus (1995),
is on the Well-Tempered World label.
(This album also exists as a reissue entitled "Songs of Earthly Delight From the Caucasus," with different cover artwork.)

UPCOMING EVENTS

Revisit this site for news of upcoming events.

PAST EVENTS

In late January 2007 Kavkasia performed in the Bay Area with the women's vocal ensemble Kitka:
    at St. John's Church in San Francisco,
    at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz,
    and at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland.

In mid-January 2007 Kavkasia performed in Toronto:
    at the Church of the Holy Trinity
    and at York University Recital Hall.

In October 2006 Kavkasia performed in Fredericksburg, Virginia:
    a workshop at Chancellor High School,
    a concert and a workshop at the University of Mary Washington,
    and a concert on the Acoustic Roots series at the Liberty Town Arts Workshop.

In August 2004 Kavkasia performed its Tenth Anniversary Concert at the Church of the Holy Trinity, in Toronto.

The same week, Kavkasia taught a six-day intensive workshop on Georgian singing at the Royal Conservatory of Music, in Toronto.

teaching a song to the class

in-class chunir performance

The workshop ended with a public recital
by the students.

In April 2004 Kavkasia was on tour in New England, performing six concerts: at Williams College, Williamstown, MA; Bennington College, Bennington, VT; Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Saxtons River, VT; Columbia University, New York, NY; and Marlboro, NY.

guest-teaching Ted Levin's world music class
at Dartmouth College

audience participation (the "Hei Wan Di La" All-Stars)
during a concert at Bennington College

What the CRITICS have said about KAVKASIA:

TV interview
Kavkasia being interviewed on Georgian television
after our 1995 Tbilisi concert

"...exotic, beautifully modulated style... haunting beauty..." -- New York Times

"... as riveting as any world beat act." -- Now Magazine

"This music is hundreds of years old, its origins deep in the Caucasus Mountains, harmonious and throaty." -- Weekend Edition, National Public Radio

"... superb blend and tuning... outstanding, both as an introduction to a rich musical tradition and as an example of highly accomplished a cappella singing." -- Toronto Globe and Mail

"This music vibrates up your body, and by the time it gets to the back of your neck, the little hairs on the back of your neck are standing up. It's quite wonderful."
-- Metro Morning, Canadian Broadcasting Company

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Comments, questions, praise, complaints, etc: contact us by email

updated 28 January 2008