Beste Aydin, aka Nene H, collaborated with Georgia’s national choir, Ensemble Basiani, to present new work “Chela,” commissioned especially for CTM 2020 in cooperation with Goethe-Institut Athen.

Georgian ancient choir music is one of the oldest traditions of such music, and its legacy is actively rekindled by Ensemble Basiani. Founded in 2000, the choir comprises 16 singers from different parts of Georgia and with backgrounds in traditional folk ensembles. Aydin is a classically trained techno artist, who first began conceptualising the project in 2017. The piece sees her pursue her interests in the commonalities of vocal music—the attitudes and intents shared across cultures, conditions, places, and times. Through collapsing, folding, dissolving, colliding, and weaving together sonic practices both old and new, “Chela” speculates on the non-linearity of time and culture, speculatively drawing out affinities and points of contact between different transformative musical experiences.