Georgia Singing Journey

Swan Frayne-Dao is a singer, speaker, coach, and experience designer dedicated to harnessing the power of art for healing and transformation. As the founder and director of the Institute of Devotional Arts, Swan leads a global network of artists, therapists, and educators committed to using creativity and imagination as catalysts for socio-ecological regeneration. With a PhD in system change from the University of Cambridge and training at the Jacques Lecoq School of Physical Theatre, their work uniquely integrates the social sciences, mind-body practices, and the performing arts. For over a decade, they have led events across 13 countries, inspiring deeper understanding and meaningful engagement with the human experience and the world around us.

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Holly Taylor-Zuntz is a singer, choir director, and voice leader with a deep passion for Georgian polyphony. A graduate of Rose Bruford College in ensemble theatre, she has spent years travelling across Georgia,learning traditional songs directly from local singers. As the founder and leader of Oxford’s Georgian Choir, Holly brings her expertise in Georgian polyphony and embodied voice work to an international audience, guiding singers to explore the deep resonance and rich harmonies of this unique tradition. She has performed and recorded with the Georgian women’s ensemble Ialoni and recently spoke on Georgian television about the global rise of interest in these songs. Holly is also the co-founder of Voices of the Ancestors, the only podcast dedicated to sharing the stories and songs of Georgia with the world.


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Nino Naneishvili holds a Bachelor of Arts in Piano and a Master of Sacred Music from Tbilisi State Conservatory. Nino is a lecturer at the University of Church Chant as well as at Rose Bruford College in London as well as a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at Ilia State University. She has published several articles on the Georgian singing tradition, especially on sacred music. As an award-winning singer, she was a member of various folk ensembles and church choirs such as the Sathanao choir and the Alilo Ensemble. She has performed and offered workshops throughout Europe. Nino also served as strategy coordinator for the Ministry of Culture from 2015 to 2016 and has been guiding annual tours in a dozen Georgian regions over the past 20 years.

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The Chamgeliani Sisters – Ana, Eka, and Madona – are a trio coming from a long lineage of singers from the isolated and mountainous province of Svaneti. Keeping their oral tradition alive, they sing songs that have been passed down for centuries from generation to generation.

Ana, Eka, and Madona grew up in Svaneti and deep knowledge of the ecosystem and the culture in which the songs emerged. Ana, who is also a member of ensemble Sathanao, is a virtuoso on the ch'uniri, a 3-string bowed viol. Madona is an ethnomusicologist and scholar of Svan culture.Her research includes studying and recording ancient songs about the forest queen Dali. Eka is a housewife and plays an important role in hosting guests at their home in the village of Lakhushdi. All three sisters are at the helm of the effort to preserve and continue the singing tradition of Svaneti.

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