Texas Performing Arts Essential Series Presents ENSEMBLE BASIANI

Ensemble Basiani provides a unique opportunity to hear masterworks from a noble choral tradition presented by the artists who know them best.

Ensemble Basiani was created in 2000 under the blessing of his Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia, to perform and promote Georgian Traditional Polyphony home and abroad. It became the Folk Ensemble of Georgian Patriarchate. The Ensemble is part of the Patriarchate Choir of Tbilisi Holy Trinity (Sameba) Cathedral which participates in services conducted by the Patriarch. Ensemble Basiani is composed of singers from different parts of Georgia. Most members come from families that perform traditional singing and many members have sung folk songs in different ensembles since childhood.

In 2013, after 13 years hard working and performing Georgian folk music all around the world, Basiani has been given a title of The State Ensemble of Georgia Folk Singing by the government of Georgia!

Ensemble's repertoire consists of the oldest folk songs and traditional Religious Hymns from all parts of Georgia and divers Monastery Chanting Schools. It completes the program by researching and reviving songs from ancient archive phonological and notated recordings, or study songs directly from famous singers and conductors of older generations active in different regions of Georgia.

Till present day Basiani has recorded and released nine different albums, out of which one album has been exclusively published by Ocora Radio France in 2012 to spread Georgian Polyphon all around the world! The Ensemble's last recordings - 4CD album 102 Georgian Folk Songs and Traditional Hymns has been published in 2013, as the landmark work of Basiani.

Basiani is the name of one of the regions in Southwest Georgia (in what is now modern-day Turkey, northwest of the town of Erzurum). In1203, Georgian royal troops defeated the Conqueror there with the victory consolidating Georgia's position in Asia Minor.

In addition to $10 tickets for primary, secondary, and college students, Texas Performing Arts is now offering a limited number of $12 tickets to active and retired military personnel for all 2016-2017 Essential Series performances (excludes Broadway and special engagements). A military ID is required. For a schedule of upcoming 2016-2017 season performances, please visitwww.TexasPerformingArts.org.