Voka Gentle + Ensemble Bednieri

Ensemble Bednieri | listen here |

Ensemble Bednieri is a Birmingham based choir singing polyphonic folk music from Georgia; a small country on the eastern edge of the Black Sea, nestled between the snowy Caucus mountains in the north the arid Turkish lands in the south. 

Spanning numerous regional styles and vocal techniques from across Georgia, we will share an uplifting and sonorous mix; from harvesting and feasting songs to pagan healing songs and medieval chants; from the lyrical lovers singing on the hillside of Adjara to the philosophical musings of a shepherd in the Tushetian mountains.

Ensemble Bednieri is led by Eb Jordan, a musician dedicated to cultural appreciation and ethnographically informed practice. Eb has studied with a wide variety of Georgian folk specialist both in the UK and Georgia for over eight years and also takes inspiration from Frank Kane’s approach of vibrational sharing and voice placement within the work.

The meaning of ‘Bednieri’ is fateful, joyful and happy. This sums up our vibe; it’s the feeling we get when we sing these ancient songs and share them with the world.