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The Georgian-born American pianist and composer, Giorgi Latsabidze, began his musical life at age 3, when he first encountered a piano and knew that this instrument would be the most important thing in his life. At 5, he began composing on the piano. At age 7, he was accepted into one of Tbilisi's Music Schools which, modeled after the ex-Soviet Union pattern, cover the seven years of education preceding entry into gymnasium and university. While there, at age 10 Giorgi was entered into the Georgian National Students Competition and, upon winning first place, was invited to perform Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Op.15 at the annual Gala Concert held at the Tbilisi State Concert Hall. Following this, Giorgi received further invitations to perform the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16 with the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra, and the L.v. Beethoven Piano Concerto in C major, Op.15 with the same orchestra.
After Giorgi Latsabidze started his university education in Georgia, at The V. Saradjishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, he received financial support from the Georgian government through a Georgian Presidential Scholarship, which continued essentially throughout his remaining undergraduate and graduate studies in Georgia. After graduating from the Conservatoire with degrees at the Bachelor, Masters, and Artist levels, each with the highest honors available in Georgia (the Georgian Presidential Prize in 1999, 2002, 2003), he continued his pursuit of post-graduate work with degrees obtained at the Hannover Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Germany (receiving a DAAD scholarship, 2003); at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria (2005) and Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California (Los Angeles) with support provided by a full scholarship at the Thornton School. Moreover, by decision of the Keyboard Studies Department in Spring 2007, Latsabidze was appointed for the Graduate Teaching Assistantship at the Thornton School of Music. During this time, Latsabidze has studied with numerous great teachers, including Russudan Chodzava (Tbilisi State Conservatoire), Gerrit Zitterbart (Hannover Hochschule), Klaus Kaufmann (Mozarteum), and Lazar Berman (Florence , Italy) and Stewart Gordon (University of Southern Califonia, Los Angeles).
Giorgi Latsabidze is a I prize winner of France’s Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. He also holds a bronze medal from Italy’s Ennio Porrino International Competition and also won special prizes in the Yehudi Menuhin Federation Competition in Salzburg and at the Young Artist International Piano Competition in Los Angeles.
Giorgi Latsabidze has pursued an ambitious performance schedule, appearing in master classes and concert performances throughout Europe, as well as in Asia, South America and more recently in the USA. While at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, and following an audition with the famous Georgian Conductor Jansug Kakhidze (nicknamed "the Slavic Karajan"), he was appointed as a resident soloist at the Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture during the years 2000-2003, performing an extensive series of works for both solo piano and for piano with orchestra. During this period, he was recognized for giving an exceptional performance of the 24 Etudes of Frédéric Chopin in his hometown of Tbilisi to a cheering audience of over a thousand people.
Today Giorgi Latsabidze is already regarded by many as one of the more significant performers of his generation. He is especially recognized for his interpretations of the works of Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt, but he has also displayed his consummate skill and broad reach in works by Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, L.v. Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and others. He mesmerizes concertgoers and critics, who have praised “Sheer poetry and art of the highest order” (Berliner Zeitung, Germany) and “Today’s piano playing at its very best” (Salzburger Nachrichten, Austria), “One of the world-class virtuosi of the 21st century” (Le Monde, Paris).
A composer as well, Giorgi Latsabidze scored the film Waltz-Fantasy, winner of a best music award in Italy Bologna Film Festival (2000). He is a member of Onward Entertainment, an independent film company in Los Angeles, having scored its commissioned film Twilight's Grace, now being praised at film festivals throughout the USA. His most current compositions include Variations on the Theme of J.S.Bach and Cyber Moment for violin and piano.
In 2005 Giorgi gave solo concerts throughout Austria, following which Governor Franz Voves of Styria, Austria invited him to perform a series of private salon concerts in the Presidential Residences within the historic and famous Schloss Eggenberg, Graz over the coming three consecutive years. In additional subsequent appearances in Austria, he performed L.v. Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with orchestras in Vienna, Salzburg and Lienz. In 2005 K-TV Austria produced a DVD (Documentary) about Giorgi Latsabidze (Portrait and Recital in Steinway Hall in Salzburg, Austria ) which has been broadcast via satellite, airing in most parts of Europe . In June 2008 he performed all 12 Transcendental Etudes of F. Liszt at a concert in Hawaii (Honolulu Convention Center), shortly thereafter repeating the same program in Nice, France, with the latter performance broadcast over Mezzo TV one of the leading musical channels in Europe.
In late November 2008, Giorgi's recital, played in the famed Newman Hall in Los Angeles, was documented LIVE on film by Jeremy Gram Weaver of Onward Entertainment, now available as a 2-disc DVD/CD set titled “Latsabidze: The Recital” - an astonishing performance in a program including W.A. Mozart, F. Chopin, F. Liszt and Bizet-Horowitz (complete with encores). In November 2009 Giorgi recorded another album "Giorgi Latsabidze Plays Debussy Preludes Book 2" (12, complete), a live multimedia performance at Alfred Newman Concert Hall, USC in Los Angeles.
In June 2010 Giorgi give a Charity gala concert for the benefit of disabled children in Taiwan, Republic of China. An audience of 2300 people, including music teachers and students from all over Taiwan, attended and celebrated Giorgi's playing. At the end of the concert Latsabidze played several encores, including a set of his own variations on the National Anthem of Taiwan, and then honored requests for autographs for 1˝ hours.
In October 2010, Giorgi Latsabidze performed at the historic Wigmore Hall in London. This performance, which included the world premiere of his composition Cyber Moment, was recorded professionally by Red Piranha Films LLC, 2010 Production Company; the resulting DVD will be released in 2011. On the same trip to England, he also recorded (at NEXUS Recording Studio, Henry Wood Hall, London, UK) a set of pieces by Waghalter, Szymanowski, J. Brahms, and Bizet-Waxman. These duet pieces for piano - violin were performed in collaboration with the Polish violinist Irmina Trynkos.
Giorgi Latsabidze recorded 24 Etudes (Op.10; Op.25) of F. Chopin; J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988;
All 12 Transcendental Etudes of F. Liszt; 12 preludes by Debussy's Book 2, among others. In 2006 and 2007, K-TV AUSTRIA produced a two-part documentary DVD about Latsabidze. |
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- Carol Hogel (Scotland) Music Scholarship presented by Flora Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles, December 5, 2008
- The Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, Countess Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (2008)
- MTNA Academic Achievement Recognition of Excellence Award (2008, Los Angeles, California)
- Keyboard Studies Department Award presented by Flora L. Thornton School of Music, USC May 10, 2007, Los Angeles, USA)
- International Competition "Young Artist" (2006, Los Angeles, USA)
- International "Yehudi Menuhin" Foundation Competition (2005, Salzburg, Austria)
- International "N. Rubinstein" Piano Competition Gold Medal (1999, Paris, France)
- International "Ennio Porrino" Piano Competition Third Prize (1998, Cagliari, Italy)
- University of Southern California Merrit Scholarship (2005, Los Angeles, USA)
- Honorar Professor DDr. Herbert Batliner award for Outstanding Achievements (2005, Liechtenstein)
- DAAD, German Academic Exchange (2003, 2004, Germany)
- German Countess Dr. Marion Dönhoff award (2002, Germany)
- Vladimir Spivakov award (2001, Russia)
- Georgian Presidential Prize (2002, 2001, 1999, Georgia) (PDF, 73 kB) |
