Joqolo
Pankisi Ensemble
The members of Pankisi Ensemble are Kists¹ from Pankisi Gorge² in northeast Georgia. Through their songs, both sacred and secular, the group strives to keep their Chechen musical traditions alive. They frequently perform throughout Georgia, and have also travelled to France to participate in world music festivals. Dressed in colorful traditional costume to perform, and accompanied by the balalaika³ and doli, their music and dance is well-loved by Georgians, who never fail to give huge applause and standing ovations at their concerts. Pankisi Ensemble is directed by Bela Mutoshvili.
Ensemble Members at the time of recording: Bela Mutoshvili; Arbi Mutoshvili; Anzhela Machalikashvili; Nana Mutoshvili; Nino Pareulidze; Giorgi Gumashvili; Lasha Tsutsashvili; Lia Achishvili
To hear another musician from the Pankisi Gorge, visit the page of Musa Imali.
¹People of Chechen ancestry living in the Pankisi Gorge. The earliest migrants arrived in the 1830s. Today there are five Kist villages in Pankisi Gorge.
²A valley in northeastern Georgia that borders Chechnya and is mainly inhabited by Kists.
³A Russian folk string instrument that made its way into the northeastern highlands of Georgia. It has three strings, a triangular body, and is tuned the same as the classical panduri. Read more about the balalaika here.
Pankisi Ensemble