, meaning
in the Georgian language, is a word that evokes fruitfulness, fermentation and blending. We have adopted it as a metaphor for our approach to sharing songs and ideas.
Machari is a ten-member ensemble of Canadian men and women taken with the folk music of the Republic of Georgia. Most of our members have traveled to this small country in quest of the music, to participate in the biennial International Symposium of Polyphony (the first one in 2002) in Tbilisi, and several have had the opportunity to learn from and perform with Georgian Songmasters in their own regions and on concert tours.
Our home base is Toronto. We have brought our voices to social occasions of many kinds: weddings, memorials, fund raisers, joyful and serene celebrations. Our repertoire embraces songs from regions with distinct vocal styles and instruments and, in keeping with the Georgian tradition, we have ventured into creating our own arrangements. We continue to broaden our scholarship of Georgian music, language and culture, and truly enjoy sharing their beauty and bounty.
