Within the framework of the Georgian Diaspora Diplomacy Engagement Program, we are honored to welcome Zaza Korinteli as a Cultural Ambassador of the Georgian Heritage Foundation - a musician, composer, songwriter, social activist, folklorist, and ethnomusicologist.

He was born on December 29, 1973, in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 1993, while studying at the Faculty of Psychology at Tbilisi State University, he founded the folk, jazz-rock, and fusion band ZumbaLand. This marked the beginning of his active stage and concert career in Georgia and Europe, which continued successfully until 2015 through solo concerts and participation in various important festivals.

From 1996 to 2001, Zaza lived and pursued his creative activities in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland. He studied at the Academy of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Krakow and collaborated on various projects with Polish musicians. In 2002, he returned to Georgia to continue his creative and civil activities. In 2004, along with his friends, he founded the international folk festival "Art-Gene" in Georgia, which has become a significant cultural event. The festival brings together different generations, regions, countries, and various fields of art and culture. From 2002 to 2015, Zaza organized and conducted folklore expeditions in Georgia and the old Georgian regions of Turkey to search for and collect authentic forms of folk music, crafts, traditions, and cuisine. These expeditions produced a unique video, audio, and photo archive that will be preserved for future generations. He actively promoted the folk masters, performers, and various authentic branches of folk creativity discovered during these expeditions, especially among the younger generations, by inviting them to perform at the Art-Gene festival.

In May 2015, Zaza and his band ZumbaLand embarked on a concert tour in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. After the tour, he moved to California, where he continues to live and work creatively. In 2022, Zaza and California musicians created a new ethno-jazz project, ReroRera - World Ethnic Inspirations. This international project, which combines different ethnic cultures and musical genres, is gaining success, popularity, and appreciation in modern American professional music circles. Zaza continues to actively showcase and promote Georgian culture and art throughout the United States, ensuring its rich heritage and vibrant traditions reach a wider audience.

Zaza will be one of the first members of the Georgian diaspora to participate in our Lecture Series on Georgian Music. He will guide us through the rich and diverse musical traditions of Georgia, from folklore to contemporary genres.