Music Therapy
Individual and group sessions designed to reduce emotional tension, improve self-esteem and develop communication skills.
Iberia.
We use music as a universal language — restoring emotional stability, overcoming trauma and helping migrant and refugee children find their voice in a new home.
01/Who we are
Music as a healing bridge
Iberia 2025 Inc. is a social enterprise founded in New York in 2025. It operates the children's vocal ensemble “Iberia”, originally established in New York in 2019 under the auspices of the Dancing Crane Company, a Georgian cultural center.
In 2025, on the basis of a strong partnership between the Dancing Crane Company and Iberia 2025 Inc., a solid social initiative was launched — dedicated to the psychosocial empowerment, cultural integration and language adaptation of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking children and adolescents.
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Average reduction in children's stress and anxiety
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Beneficiaries targeted in the Brooklyn pilot
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Years the ensemble has run in New York
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Years since the ensemble's first generation, 1989
02/Methodology
The TIMM model
Trauma-Informed Music Model — an innovative hybrid framework that merges the Georgian polyphonic tradition with music therapy and American educational standards.
Language Through Song
English language acquisition through musical activity, improving word retention and social interaction.
Cultural Dialogue & Performance
Multicultural concerts and masterclasses that promote intercultural understanding and teamwork — children tell their own “Song Stories” through music.
Scientific foundation
Our approach is evidence-based, grounded in neuropsychological research — specifically Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges), which explains how music and vocal vibration regulate the nervous system. The program aligns with the priorities of the U.S. Department of Education and the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) framework.
03/Programmes
What we offer children
Vocal ensemble
Weekly group rehearsals building vocal technique, breath, harmony and stage presence — the core of the Iberia school.
Music therapy sessions
Individual and small-group sessions that lower emotional tension and build self-regulation, delivered inside the TIMM framework.
Language through song
English acquisition through repertoire, rhythm and phonetics — vocabulary that sticks because it is sung.
Masterclasses
Guest artists, multicultural repertoire and performance workshops that open the ensemble to the wider community.
04/Founder & Artistic Director
Ekaterine Chichua
The author and founder of the project is Ekaterine Chichua — a musician, educator, filmmaker and social innovation specialist with over 20 years of professional experience in music and childhood education.
Her work has been recognized by the New York State Senate and the Consulate General of Georgia in New York for cultural leadership and the introduction of innovative educational approaches.
- Touro University (New York, USA) — Master's degree programme in Early Childhood Education and Psychology.
- Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgian State University (Tbilisi) — Film and TV Media Faculty; qualification: TV media directing.
- Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Tbilisi State Pedagogical University — Faculty of Arts; qualification: elementary school teacher.
Featured event
Concert for International Children's Day
The Iberia vocal group's season concert. Artistic director: Eka Chichua. Arrangements: Tengiz Shauthidze. A Dancing Crane Company production.
05/Gallery
From the stage
07/Impact
Our social impact (SROI)
At Iberia 2025 we believe that every resource invested generates threefold social and economic value. Our activities are focused on three primary dimensions.
Individual development
We reduce stress and anxiety levels in children by an average of 40%, improving academic performance and self-regulation.
Community empowerment
We facilitate social integration among multi-ethnic groups and work to reduce cultural isolation.
Economic contribution
We create employment for teachers, musicians and therapists, strengthening the local creative economy.
Our path toward 2030
Brooklyn pilot
Piloting in Brooklyn and engaging up to 200 beneficiaries in the programme.
Regional expansion
Expanding the programme to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
International festival
Establishing an International Music Festival for migrant and multicultural youth — a cultural platform of national importance.
Join us
Every child has a voice. We help them find it.
Enrolment, partnership or support — get in touch and let's build the bridge together.