Georgia at the River Bank Festival
From August 24-26, Frankfurt's Museum Embankment Festival (Museumsuferfest), which attracts 3 million tourists annually, will feature Georgia as the guest country.
The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia and organized by the Georgian National Music Center.
Over the course of three days, concerts are planned featuring contemporary musical groups and performers: the jazz sextet QUINTESSENCE, the ensemble "Iriao", KORDZ / Zagareli & Strings, Luka Nakashidze and Misho Urushidze, Nino Katamadze & Insight, Nikoloz Rachveli & the Georgian National Symphony Orchestra Strings and Brass; as well as the children's ensemble "Patara Georgika" and the children's folklore ensemble "Laprebi".
Georgian folk art will be showcased within the framework of the festival, with contemporary musicians and performers participating in the events. Interaction and spectacle elements will be presented by the Pantomime and Movement theatres, and a puppet opera performance will be held for children. Within the framework of the project "Souvenirs from Georgia", children will participate in the process of creating Georgian souvenirs centered around the theme of the alphabet. An exhibition of Georgian handicraft items will also be organized.
Georgian culinary and wine tastings will be held as part of the festival.
In 2018, Georgia is the Guest of Honor country at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Various cultural and literary events are being held throughout the year, and this festival is one of its integral and important parts.
The National Tourism Administration of Georgia and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia are also participating in the festival.
Information about the participants
Iriao Ensemble
Iriao is a Georgian musical group. Their unique music is a blend of jazz and contemporary musical elements with improvisations. The group has performed at the Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia, the Alfa Jazz Festival in Ukraine, as well as at festivals in Poland, the Baltic states, and Austria.
KORDZ, ZAGARELI & STRINGS
Georgian composer and electronic music performer Alexander Kordzaia (KORDZ) and violist Giorgi Zagareli first met in Switzerland, at the Basel Academy of Music. Their collaboration began years later, in 2017, with the idea of combining the sound and energy of Giorgi Zagareli's string orchestra and electronic music rhythms with Kordz's texture.
DJ LUKA NAKASHIDZE & MISHO URUSHADZE
Renowned Georgian electronic music performers Luka Nakashidze and Misho Urushidze will perform electronic music for the audience every day during the festival.
Children's Puppet Opera "Mtsire Btskala"
The idea of creating a puppet opera accessible to children belongs to Nodar Andguladze and Guri Zakareishvili, who are the managers of the Andguladze Vocal Foundation. The purpose of the puppet opera is to develop and shape hearing, taste, and culture in children from an early age.
Laprebi Ensemble
The children's choreographic ensemble "Laprebi" was founded on the basis of the "Erisioni" ensemble and is celebrating its 13th anniversary this year. The ensemble has participated in numerous festivals, including in Bulgaria, Greece, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and others. In 2015, the ensemble achieved great success in Barcelona, where it won the Grand Prix at the International Folklore Festival.
Patara Georgika
The mixed children's ensemble "Patara Georgika", operating alongside the 6th Author School, is a participant in numerous international festivals and competitions. In 2013, the choir won second place at the youth art competition "MUZITE" in Bulgaria, and in 2014, it won the first prize at the National Choral Singing Competition. That same year, "Patara Georgika" participated in the international choir festival. The artistic director of Patara Georgika is Rati Dzhulakidze, and the concertmaster and choirmaster is Nino Kumisishvili.
Pantomime Theatre
The establishment of the pantomime genre in Georgia is associated with the name of Amiran Shalikashvili. In 1962, Amiran Shalikashvili formed a pantomime group from interested students and, on its anniversary, presented the first independent work, "Pantomime Novels", on the institute's stage. The theatre has performed in Turkey, Germany, Poland, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Syria.
Movement Theatre
The Movement Theatre is a magical space where stories are told through movement and music, and this mysticism takes place in the Mushtaidi Garden. The theatre was founded in 2001 by Kakha Bakuradze and represents a synthesis of drama, pantomime, movement, spectacle, opera, folklore, circus, illusion, and contemporary music. Extreme spectacles are organized in open spaces and indoors.
The Quintessence
The group was founded in 2012. The idea of creating the group, composed of young singers, belongs to Buka Kartozia. The group's creative work is mainly a synthesis of jazz and ancient Georgian folklore. The group has held solo performances and participated in various festivals in Vienna, Budapest, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Leipzig, Jurmala, etc.
Nino Katamadze & Insight
Nikoloz Rachveli & Georgian National Symphony Orchestra Strings and Brass
The refined musical style, high professionalism, and dedication of Nino Katamadze and the group Insight have brought the musicians great popularity outside the country's borders. They hold up to 100 concerts worldwide annually. The concert will feature musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nikoloz Rachveli, a composer and pianist who has collaborated with such renowned musicians as Sting, Bjรถrk, Chris Botti, Lisa Fischer, Michel Legrand, and others.
