Draft:Elene Pachulia-Chubabria

Elene Pachulia Chubabria (Georgian: ელენე ფაჩულია ჭუბაბრია) (March 13, 1905–December 2, 1979) was a renowned Georgian folk singer in the former Soviet Union in the mid 20th century.

She stood as one of the most significant singers of Georgian and Mingrelian folk songs, leaving an indelible mark and inspiring several musical generations. Her repertoire included timeless classics such as "Chela" ("ჩელა"), which she sang with passion and virtuosity, "Didou Nana" ("დიდოუ ნანა"), "Sisa Tura" ("სისა ტურა"), "Dzgabi Dudi Damanebi" (“ძღაბი დუდი დამანები”), "Suliko" ("სულიკო"), "Sabodisho" ("საბოდიშო"), and others.

She was skilled in playing musical instruments, including the guitar and the Georgian traditional instrument called chonguri. In the Georgian Folklore Magazine she is referred as a master chonguri player.

Anzor Erkomaishvili, referred to her as the Queen of Georgian Folk Songs (Georgian: ქართული ხალხური სიმღერების დედოფალი). Elene Pachulia Chubabria's musical legacy continues to resonate, inspiring and enchanting listeners across generations.

Elene had a rich and mesmerizing voice. Her vocal range was unusually broad, which was especially surprising because of her diminutive frame (slender and about 5’4”).

She graced Georgian films with her enchanting voice, leaving an enduring impact on cinematic experiences in films such as “Dariko” (“დარიკო“), “Narindjis Veli” ("ნარინჯის ველი“), “Keto and Kote” ("ქეთო და კოტე“), and "Tavadis Kali Maia” ("თავადის ქალი მაია“). Through her artistry, Elene remains a timeless figure in the rich tapestry of Georgian musical cultural heritage.

Early life
Elene Pachulia Chubabria (née Pachulia) daughter of Alexi Pachulia and Anastasia Chkhikvadze was born on March 13, 1905, in Batumi, Georgia. From an early age she was distinguished by her exceptional musical talent. She began singing at the age of seven in a Russian church choir in Batumi.“

Her mother passed away when Elene was 13 years old. During that time, 13-year-old Elene studied in a gymnasium, where she also sang in a choir. After her mother's passing, her bereft father became distant and not attentive to his five children. Although, he was a wealthy merchant, he refused to pay Elene's gymnasium tuition. With the help of her singing teacher, Iustine Kalandadze, and free tuition, Elene continued singing as a soloist in the gymnasium choir, performing ecclesiastic hymns. Through singing in a church choir, she earned extra money to feed her siblings. After graduating from the gymnasium, Elene remained there as a singing and vocal teacher. In 1928, Elene married a fellow chorist, Valentin (Shalva) Chubabria, and after that she was known as Elene Chubabria.“

Music career
In 1921, after the Soviet invasion of Georgia, a Georgian folk song choir was formed in Batumi under the leadership of Meliton Kukhianidze, where Elene began performing as a soloist. In addition to folk songs, the choir performed works by Georgian composers such as Niko Sulkhanishvili, Meliton Balanchivadze, Dimitri Arakishvili, Zacharia Paliashvili, as well as foreign classical composers. In 1929, the choir won the first prize at the Georgian Singer Olympiad. After the successful performances of the choir throughout the Soviet Union, the newly formed family moved to Tbilisi, Georgia in 1933 and soon Elene sang in the Tbilisi Academic Choir under the leadership of Kote Potskhverashvili. Soon after, she became a soloist of the Mechongure ensemble formed by Avksenti Megrelidze.

In January 1937 the Mechongure ensemble performed at the first dekada of Georgian national art held in Moscow (Kremlin). “The dekadas of national art (dekadï natsional’nogo iskusstva) were national arts festivals instituted under Stalin in 1936, intended to display the art of the Soviet republics in Moscow. They became an important symbol of High Stalinism, seeking to foster the transnational exchange between European art music and traditional folk music of the Soviet republics.” The dekada was a colossal success and Elene was awarded the Badge of Honor called Order of the Red Banner of Labour. She was one of only ten people in all of Georgia who received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. (Stalin had a passion for Georgian folk songs and was an amateur singer himself. He even sang along with the members of the ensemble at the dekada reception in Kremlin.)

Romain Rolland, a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and the Nobel Prize winner for literature attended Elene’s concert in Moscow in the 1930s and was smitten by her voice. (Rolland served unofficially as ambassador of French artists to the Soviet Union.)