Artists, audience donating to replace Tbilisi State Conservatoire grand pianos

A social media campaign is raising funds from artists and the public to help Tbilisi State Conservatoire replace its grand pianos, in use since the 1990s and beyond repair.

Launched last week, the campaign responds to the need to replace as many of the nearly 120 grand pianos at the principal high school for classical music as possible, with the conservatory finding itself short on funds.

Artists including the Feurich Competition prize-winning teenage pianist Sandro Gegechkori and conductor Gogi Tchitchinadze have led the efforts through charity concerts and donations of funds from touring projects, however the campaign has also received support from the general public.

The condition of instruments at Tbilisi State Conservatoire [...] is shameful and inconceivable. This campaign [...] is not only for pianists but for the entire conservatory as grand piano is an instrument without which creative process is impossible," Tchitchinadze told artnews.ge reporters.

A performance of the opera 'Keto and Kote' was held last week at the school to help raise funds. Photo via Tbilisi State Conservatoire.

Gegechkori said the issue at the school placed prospects of musical students representing Georgia at a required level at international events in jeopardy and said he and other students had ideas including holding charity events at the institution to raise funds. A performance of the opera Keto and Kote was held at the conservatory last week to help support the cause.

Speaking to artnews.ge about the causes of the problem, conservatory rector Nana Sharikadze cited the modest budget of the school and "colossal" funds required to replace all 119 grand pianos in use at the venue.

Sharikadze said her team had a multi-stage plan for involving the state, business and artistic community of Georgia to raise funds and solve the long-standing issue of replacing instruments used for training musicians at the school that marked its centennary in 2017.

The head of the institution also noted her team had already received offers for support during the campaign and had also met Badri Maisuradze, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and former Artistic Director of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre to discuss the issue. Additional meetings with minister Mikheil Chkhenkeli are also in plans for conservatory staff.

Grand pianos at music schools have life spans of five to 10 years under intensive use, however the instruments at the Tbilisi school have not been replaced since the 1990s according to the rector and have reached their limit of effective repairs.

The instrument is particularly important for music schools as it is used for training not only pianists but also in classes for artists playing on other instruments.