Tbilisi conservatoire students awarded at Serbian piano competition

Three young Georgian pianists were announced among winners of this year’s International Piano Competition Smederevo in Serbia last week.

Elene Eliozishvili, Lela Shonia and Ketevan Tchabukaidze, students of the Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, received major awards at the competition, which concluded in the eastern Serbian city on May 8.

Eliozishvili was selected by the jury of the contest as the laureate of the Grand Prix for the Category 8 of the piano section, with Shonia and Tchabukaidze each claiming First Prize for their performance in Category 7 and 10 respectively.

The prize-winners were announced by the competition organisers last week. Photo: Georgia's Culture Ministry press office.

Beside the principal prizes, the three artists were also awarded special diplomas for performing specific musical pieces.

Eliozishvili’s rendition of Schubert-Liszt Gretchen am Spinnrade brought the emerging pianist her diploma from the competition, with Shonia awarded for Tchaikovsky’s Meditation op.72 and Tchabukaidze leaving the event with her diploma for the performance of Mozart-Liszt Requiem D Minor.

The three pianists were among over 200 artists showcasing their talents at the 4th edition of the event.

The Georgian students were among over 200 participants at the event. Photo: Georgia's Culture Ministry press office.

Organised by the Society for the Appreciation of Artistic Endeavor (ULJUS), the piano competition is focused on students of junior to university level. The contest included sections in piano, comparative piano, chamber music and piano music composition.

Eliozishvili, Shonia and Tchabukaidze are students of the Tbilisi conservatoire professor Manana Kandelaki.

Kandelaki’s share in the winning performances was also recognised at the Smederevo event. The professor was honoured with the Special Diploma for the Extraordinary Achievement in Pedagogy.