Tbilisi conservatoire marks 100 years with festival

A month-long festival is underway to celebrate a major anniversary of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, with musical artists, bands and foreign guests joining in festivities opened on Monday.

Known as Georgia’s oldest institution for higher education, the conservatoire was founded in Georgia’s capital 100 years ago.

Named after opera singer and founder of Georgian professional vocal art Vano Sarajishvili, the venue will host over a dozen concerts of classical, choral, folk, jazz and opera performances throughout the month of May.

The anniversary celebrations were launched with a concert attended by officials and dignitaries. Photo: Prime Minister of Georgia Facebook page.

The opening evening for the festival was marked with congratulatory messages from Georgian officials and foreign dignitaries in attendance.

On the performance part, the concert’s highlights included young pianist Sandro Nebieridze, a student of the conservatoire’s elementary school and winner of the Grand Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia last year.

Nebieridze has been praised by the Tbilisi conservatoire rector Rezo Kiknadze as the "latest pride” of the institution and a "brilliant pianist and composer” in an interview with the Georgian media.

The performances of the opening show were led by conductor Mirian Khukhunaishvili, a graduate of the institution.

Internationally recognised composer Giya Kancheli (R) photographed with Georgia's PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili at the opening concert. Photo: Prime Minister of Georgia Facebook page.

The event showcased music by Antonin Dvorak, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, while the foyer of the conservatoire building hosted a display of photographs illustrating the institution’s rich history.

Organisers of the festival said subsequent shows over the next month would feature students and graduates of the conservatoire as well as Georgian artists developing their musical careers abroad.

The program will also include appearances by the Student Symphony Orchestra and choir of the venue, solo performances and concerts involving folk music ensembles and jazz bands.

Among the shows celebrating the anniversary will be a May 26 gala concert, coinciding with Georgia’s Independence Day celebrations and held at the State Opera House in Tbilisi.

The first classical music school in the Caucasus was opened in the conservatoire building in 1917. Photo: Tbilisi State Conservatoire.

The foundations of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire were laid in 1891 with a charity concert in Tbilisi, led by famous Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein.

The show was designed to raise money for building a musical institution on the land owned by the widow of Russian Army General Zhuravsky in the Georgian capital.

The successful drive for the initiative resulted in the opening of the school on May 1, 1917.

Historians of the venue characterise it as the pioneering institution of higher music education in the Caucasus that heralded European educational traditions in the region.

The venue's rich heritage is preserved at its archive. Photo: Tbilisi State Conservatoire.

Receiving the official designation of a state conservatoire in 1924, the school was named after Sarajishvili in 1947.

The institution’s role as the principal school of classical music education in the country was underlined by the generations of artists including composers, opera singers and pianists now recognised internationally.

Celebrated contemporary graduates of the conservatoire include composer Giya Kancheli, pianist Eliso Virsaladze and opera singer Nino Surguladze.

The venue has also hosted concerts by world-famous artists throughout the decades of its history, including pianists Vladimir Horowitz and Svyatoslav Richter as well as violinist David Oistrakh and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

The current institution boasts over 150 teachers working with students, while the conservatoire also plays host to public talks, musical competitions, workshops and concert performances. The venue, located on Griboedov Street, was recently renovated in celebration of the anniversary date.