Georgia & Israel ‘Performers from the Oldest Nations’ Kicks Off
For the first time, an intercultural musical project has been launched by Tbilisi State Conservatoire (TSC) and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (JAMD) bringing distinguished young musicians together. The project, named ’Performers from the Oldest Nations’ is dedicated to 26 centuries of Jewish-Georgian friendship and the future cooperation between the institutions. It involves the participation of young students from both countries in masterclasses, discussions and concerts.
The first stage of the project (JAMD X TSC) will take place on 8-13 June. Students of JAMD will visit Georgia and take masterclasses delivered by TSC professors Lali Sanikidze and Nodar Nakaidze. Apart from students, Vice-President of JAMD, Professor Michael Klinghoffer, will pay a visit to Georgia and hold masterclasses for conservatory students and music school pupils. Within the program, two concerts are planned: on June 10, at 7 PM, joint concert of participants from both countries will be held at Steinway & Sons Georgia. This will be followed by a concert of JAMD students at the TSC Recitall Hall at 8 o’clock on June 12. Both concerts are free to attend.
“I hope this project will create new friendships, connections and new musical interactions between two schools that have a great reputation and possess great traditions,” Klinghoffer told GEORGIA TODAY. “I hope that through this project we can build a long-lasting relationship. During my visit, I would like to meet people who I can share my ideas with about our role as music schools. This is on the one hand keeping and reviving the tradition and conserving it, and at the same time it is our goal to prepare the artists to change the world. There is less work and interest in the kind of music we do, but the 21st century is a time of independent musicians, and one of our missions is to educate and help students thrive in this wonderful world that holds many opportunities. I’m really looking forward to visiting Tbilisi for the first time,” he added.
The second phase of the project (TSC X JAMD) is scheduled for the first half of October in Israel. Within the frames of the project, five Georgian students (pianists) will visit Israel and collaborate with AMD professors Vadim Monastirsky and Yaron Rosenthal. The masterclasses will be followed by concerts. A concert by participants of the project will be held at the Steinway & Sons Showroom and will be followed by a concert of the Georgian students at the Eden-Tamir Music Center.
As part of the project, five students from each country have been selected. From the Tbilisi State Conservatoire: Aslan Chikovani, Lasha Kvaratskhelia, George Shiolashvili, Salome Goderdzishvili and Tamar Jincharadze; and from the and Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance: Hanan Becher, Omer Yaari, Dani Ozz, Eyal Urim, and Alexander Julakidze.
The person behind the project is Georgian pianist Alexander Julakidze, who is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree at JAMD in Israel and who has held a number of concerts and activity promotes Georgian culture abroad.
“For Tbilisi Conservatory students, exchange programs are not a novelty, so when I enrolled at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, I often talked about it with my musician friends, including Maestro Vadim Monastirsky,” he told us. “During one such conversation, I suggested we organize an intercultural project between TSC students and JAMD. The TSC Rector asked assistance from the Georgian Embassy to Israel to organize the joint project on the Jerusalem end and we signed a memorandum of cooperation between the two musical institutions. It is the first agreement between Israel and Georgia in this direction and this is the very first artistic event based on a new student platform. From the very beginning, the project was supported by Steinway & Sons Georgia and thus concerts of 10 musicians will be held at the Steinway & Sons Showroom venue. The initiative is also backed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture Aand Sport of Georgia, which has helped TSC and its students to promote their talent beyond the borders of the country many times.”
“The newly established friendship between these two music schools is as important as the friendship between our nations, which counts more than 3000 years. Such a past gives a good basis to form new friendships, share knowledge and inspire one another. I appreciate Alexander’s initiative and I am sure that this project will have great results in many directions for students of both music institutions,” Rezo Kiknadze, Rector of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, told us.
“Deepening cultural relations between two countries is extremely important, since cooperation of the Hebrew world with Georgia goes beyond simple collaboration in many fields,” said Paata Kalandadze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the State of Israel. “This is a truly historic and significant occasion that traces its roots back centuries. Bringing new life to these roots through such projects is equally important for both nations. Israel is a fast-developing countries which can also be perceived as an important route for transferring Georgian culture to the international scene. We should engage in organizing joint cultural projects as well as take part in Israel’s international festivals. Israel is notable for its world-renowned musicians and orchestras, who are impressed by young Georgian pianists and their capacities and are eager to share their experience and knowledge with them,” the Ambassador said.
By Lika Chigladze