Tbilisi State Conservatoire ( ka, თბილისის სახელმწიფო კონსერვატორია, ''Tbilisis Saxelmc̣ipo Ḳonservaṭoria'') is the State

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, located in the capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

History

The Tbilisi Conservatoire was founded on 1 May 1917. It was formally recognised by the

Russian Musical Society The Russian Musical Society (RMS) () was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstein, one of the few notable Russian pianists and composers of th ...

as a conservatoire later that year. A rival conservatoire was also founded in 1921 by D. Arakishvili, and it was not until 1924 that the situation was resolved by the

Soviet regime The political system of the Soviet Union took place in a federal single-party soviet socialist republic framework which was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the only party permitted by the C ...

in favour of the original foundation. Since 1947 it has borne the name of Georgian singer Ivane Sarajishvili. Among the first teachers in Conservatoire were students of leading musicians such as

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

Henryk Wieniawski Henryk Wieniawski (; 10 July 183531 March 1880) was a Polish virtuoso violinist, composer, and pedagogue, who is regarded amongst the most distinguished violinists in history. His younger brother Józef Wieniawski and nephew :pl:Adam Tadeusz Wien ...

, Antoine Marmontel,

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

, and

Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano in the Co ...

, as well as

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

and

Rosina Lhévinne Rosina Lhévinne (; (Бесси); March 29, 1880 – November 9, 1976) was a Russian and American pianist and famed pedagogue. Early life, education and family Rosina Bessie was the younger of two daughters of Maria (née Katz) and Jacques Bess ...

– later founder-teachers at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

of Music; Georgian musicians, former alumni of the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

and

St. Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory () (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members ...

– including

Dimitri Arakishvili Dimitri Arakishvili ( ka, დიმიტრი არაყიშვილი) (11 February 1873 – 13 August 1953) was a Soviet and Georgian composer and ethnomusicologist who is considered one of the founding fathers of modern Georgian music. ...

and Zachary Paliashvili (composers, and founders of modern Georgian music); Wanda Shiukashvili, A.Tulashvili and A.Virsaladze (pianists); L.Iashvili and L.Shiukashvili (violinists); D.Andghuladze and A.Inashvili (singers); Greek conductor

Odysseas Dimitriadis Odysseas Dimitriadis (7 July 190828 April 2005) was a Georgian of Pontic Greek descent and Soviet classical music conductor. During his 70-year career, Odysseas had conducted a number of the world's leading orchestras, as well as being a main ...

and others. At different times the Tbilisi State Conservatoire was headed by prominent Georgian and Russian musicians, among them Nikolai Nikolaev (1917-1918),

Nikolai Tcherepnin Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (Russian: Николай Николаевич Черепнин; – 26 June 1945) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at t ...

(1919-1922), Tamara Vakhvakhishvili (1921-1923),

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (; born Mikhail Mikhailovich Ivanov; 28 January 1935) was a Russia, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era into the 20th century era. ...

(1924-1925),

Zakaria Paliashvili Zacharia Petres dze Paliashvili ( ka, ზაქარია ფალიაშვილი, ''Zakaria Paliaşvili''), also known by his Russian name as Zachary Petrovich Paliashvili ( August 16, 1871 – October 6, 1933), was a Georgian composer. ...

(1918-1919;1922-1923;1930-1931),

(1926-1929),

Otar Taktakishvili Otar Vasilisdze Taktakishvili ( ka, ოთარ თაქთაქიშვილი; ; 27 July 1924 – 21 February 1989) was a prominent Georgian composer, teacher, conductor, and musicologist of the Soviet period. Although in the West Takt ...

(1962-1964),

Sulkhan Tsintsadze Sulkhan Fyodorovich Tsintsadze ( Georgian: სულხან ცინცაძე, Russian: Сулхан Фёдорович Цинцадзе; August 23, 1925 – September 15, 1991) was a Georgian composer known for his chamber music and his film ...

(1965-1984), Nodar Gabunia (1984-2000),

Manana Doidjashvili Manana Doijashvili, OSI ( ka, მანანა დოიჯაშვილი; 5 November 1947 – 17 January 2023) was a Georgian pianist and professor of piano. She was trained at the Tbilisi State Conservatory under Tengiz Amirejibi. She ...

(2000-2012) Reso Kiknadze (2012-2019) and Nana Sharikadze (2019-2023). Tbilisi State Conservatoire-1940

Among the notable graduates of the Conservatoire are: composers

Gia Kancheli Gia Kancheli ( ka, გია ყანჩელი; 10 August 1935 – 2 October 2019) was a Georgian composer. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and resided in Belgium in later life. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kancheli ...

, S. Nasidze and

Dagmara Slianova-Mizandari Dagmara Levanovna Slianova-Mizandari (December 1910 - 1983) was a composer born in the Republic of Georgia. Slianova-Mizandari studied at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. She graduated in 1933, received a diploma in composition in 1935, and taugh ...

; conductor

Jansug Kakhidze Jansug Ivanes dze Kakhidze (26 May 19357 March 2002) was a Georgian musician, composer, singer and conductor nicknamed "the Georgian Karajan". Kakhidze was music director of the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra for two decades beginning in 1 ...

; ethnomusicologist and evolutionary musicologist

Joseph Jordania Joseph Jordania ( Georgian იოსებ ჟორდანია, born February 12, 1954, and also known under the misspelling of Joseph Zhordania) is an Australian– Georgian ethnomusicologist and evolutionary musicologist and professor. He ...

; musicians

Elisso Virsaladze Eliso Virsaladze ( ka, ელისო ვირსალაძე; born September 14, 1942) is a Georgian pianist. Biography She was born in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR. Her father Constantine Virsaladze was a prominent doctor and scientist, so wa ...

Dimitri Bashkirov Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bashkirov (; November 1, 1931 – March 7, 2021) was a Russian pianist and academic teacher. Trained in his hometown Tbilisi and Moscow, he began an international career as a soloist when he won the Marguerite Long Piano Co ...

Lev Vlassenko Lev Nikolaevich Vlassenko (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Вла́сенко; 24 December 1928 – 24 August 1996), was a Soviet pianist and teacher. Biography Lev Vlassenko was born on 24 December 1928 in Tiflis, Georgian SSR, Soviet Uni ...

, Tamar Gabarashvili, Regina Gurgenyan,

Alexander Toradze Alexander Davidovich "Lexo" Toradze ( ka, ალექსანდრე თორაძე ''Aleksandre Toradze''; May 30, 1952 – May 11, 2022) was a Georgian-born American pianist, best known for his classical Russian repertoire, with a car ...

, Marine Iashvili, Alexander Korsantia,

Giorgi Latso Giorgi Latso (born Giorgi Latsabidze, ka, გიორგი ლაცაბიძე, ; 15 April 1978) is a Georgian- American concert pianist, film composer, arranger, adjudicator, improviser and Doctor of Musical Arts. Latso has won seve ...

, Zurab Andjaparidze, Iano Alibegashvili (Tamari), Lado Ataneli, Tamar Atschba and others.

Building

The original building was designed by

Aleksander Szymkiewicz Aleksander Szymkiewicz (12 November 1858, in Saint Petersburg – 1908, in Tbilisi) was a Polish people, Polish architect who worked in the Russian Empire (primarily in Tbilisi) in the 1880s–1900s. He was a member of the City Council and mu ...

and built in 1901-05. Unlike most buildings of the same style in the given period, the conservatoire's column decorated main portal is not centrally located. Rather, along with the main facade it is built near the left corner of the building in order for it to face the main entrance from the

Rustaveli Avenue Rustaveli Avenue ( ka, რუსთაველის გამზირი, Rust'avelis Gamziri), formerly known as Golovin Street, is the central avenue in Tbilisi named after the medieval Georgian poet, Shota Rustaveli. The avenue starts at ...

. The style of the building is eclectic in nature. While original two-story building was built with elements of

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, the exterior of the present four-story building is neoclassical and somewhat less ornate. The exterior displays the statue of

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

, a Russian pianist and composer who in 1891 donated an entire income from one of his concerts for the opening of the original conservatoire building. The main auditorium and the smaller auditorium are the two auditoriums in the building. The conservatoire's tiny auditorium is renowned for its ornately decorated walls. The main auditorium also holds an organ from the Alexander Schuke factory in Potsdam, Germany, installed in 1963.

Activities

Today the conservatoire teaching staff includes about 200 professors. There are about 400 students. Cultural events taking place at the Conservatoire include: music forums, national competitions, international symposia and scientific conferences, master classes, chamber and symphony concerts and student opera performances at the Conservatoire Opera Studio. Amongst those who have performed at the Conservatoire are

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...

Egon Petri Egon Petri (23 March 188127 May 1962) was a Dutch-American pianist. Life and career Petri's family was Dutch. He was born a Dutch citizen in Hanover, Germany, and grew up in Dresden, where he attended the Kreuzschule. His father, a professi ...

Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...

David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian violinist, List of violists, violist, and Conducting, conductor. He was also Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR (1953), and Laureate of the ...

Emil Gilels Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (19 October 191614 October 1985, born Samuil) was a Soviet pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. His sister Elizabeth, three years his junior, was a violinist. His daughter Elena ...

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

and others. Since 1995 the State Conservatoire has aligned itself with the two-step European Educational System of studies. Since 2006 the Tbilisi State Conservatoire has become a member of the European Association of Conservatories. From 2005 the Conservatoire joined the

Bologna Process file:Bologna-Prozess-Logo.svg, 96px, alt=Logo with stylized stars, Logo file:Bologna zone.svg, alt=Map of Europe, encompassing the entire Bologna zone, 256px, Bologna zone The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements b ...

with its international student transfer and credit system. On September 14, 2022 the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia launched focusing on eliminating the deficiency of instruments in the Tbilisi State Conservatory. A multiyear purchase agreement was signed with world leader manufacturing company

Steinway & Sons Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in New York City by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth le ...

in accordance with which 78 grand pianos would gradually be transferred to the State Conservatory until 2025. Initial negotiations between Steinway & Sons and Ministry of Culture has particularly facilitated Georgian-American composer and concert pianist

. Since Steinway & Sons was founded and its company history this contract is regarded as unprecedented and significant in Europe, given the fact that Georgia had a 50 year shortage for purchases.

References

Bibliography

*Rusudan Tsurtsumia (ed.), ''Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire'', Tbilisi, 1998 *Arutinov Devil (ed.), ''Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire'', Tbilisi, 2000

External links