Georgian Vocalist Leading an Italian Opera School

Nino Lezhava was a child prodigy from the start, and then she became a diva of the Georgian opera, and finally found herself at the head of the famous Italian vocal academy in Pesaro.

Pesaro is one of the pearls of the Adriatic art scene, with a population of only 95,000; it is a creative city of music which is tightly bonded with the sacred name of its famous native, the great Gioacchino Rossini. One might say that it was a sheer accident but I am qualifying the story of the wonderful Nino Lezhava as a logically built musical career because nothing big happens without talent and hard work put together.

The Renata Tebaldi & Mario Del Monaco International Academy of Opera Singers, headed today by Nino Lezhava, was founded 15 years ago by its eternal Maestro, Mario Melani, who was so fascinated by the talent and beauty of the Georgian singer that he wanted to bequest his best creation in life to the favorite student of his, and so he did. After his demise, Lezhava moved even further into the musical deeds of her beloved teacher and today, the Academy functions at full swing, preparing vocalists from various nations for the big stages of every continent of the planet.

A graduate of Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Nino Lezhava, currently the art director and head of administration of the Pesaro Academy, has enthusiastically and successfully continued the high tradition of Maestro Melani and others before him, teaching the lyrical style of operatic singing by using a full, rich, broad tone and smooth phrasing – the so called Bel Canto, literally meaning ‘fine song’. Nino is assisted in administrative affairs by her sister Leeka Lezhava, a lawyer and marketing expert by trade, who has volunteered to stand by her sister in this new arena of activity.

The academic scope of the school is not restricted to teaching the vocal art; piano accompaniment is also taught there. The new Maestra Nino is a leader of a new type, who sees with utmost precision the artistic and educational future of the school. Her personality and musical image is a modern but organic continuation of the vocal and academic traditions of her Italian forerunners. This is probably an ideal paradigm of international teamwork and the triumph of good will between the peoples of the world.

Isn’t it astonishing that the elderly Italian Melani was willing to turn over his rich musical legacy to the young Georgian Lezhava, who was prepared to accept the honor and responsibility?! The best and the brightest example of this extraordinary sequence between generations is the contest in the form of a festival, titled ‘Stars of the Future’, now having become a traditional event based on the memorandum signed in 2017 by director of the Academy and director of the Festival, Nino Kupatadze. The Festival has revealed and promoted many outstanding talents in vocal arts, piano, brass and string instruments, orchestra and chorus, among them Georgian, Italian, Lithuanian, Swiss, Russian, Turkish, Armenian, Azeri and Persian performers of five different age groups. The Festival has widely celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Academy and the centenary of its unforgettable Maestro Melani, having established a special contest prize in his name – a ten-day masterclass in the Academy. Incidentally, the price of each master class is equal to EUR 1500.

Among the guests of this international festival, which lasted from May 12 to 18, were Pesaro’s vice mayor, Georgia’s ambassador to Italy, president of the Opera Pesaro, director of the Pesaro Concert Association, president of the Academy and other dignitaries.

During the meeting of the Georgian ambassador and Nino Lezhava with local authorities, the idea of twinning Pesaro and a Georgian city was discussed. As Lezhava has told us, her good friend, Mr. Daniele Vimini, the Vice Mayor of Pesaro, is a man who has readiness, desire and qualification to make the plan a mutually beneficial reality between Italy and Georgia.

As a direct consequence of this contest-festival, concerts, individual performances, auditioning and master-classes will follow abundantly with the participation of those artists who revealed themselves in the most favorable way.

Georgian opera talent is scattered throughout the world – a well-known fact! The phenomenon of Nino Lezhava and her entire operatic and pedagogical activity in both countries is a precursor of that outstanding national success, and a harbinger of even more.

Nugzar B. Ruhadze