World Famous Georgian Tenor Dies at 80

Zurab Sotkilava, a well-known Georgian opera singer died at the age of 80 on Monday. His body has been transferred from Russia, where he used to live until death.

The singer will be transferred to the Opera and Ballet Theater on September 23, where a civil funeral will be held.

Two years ago Sotkilava was diagnosed a malignant tumor of the pancreas. He was operated on in Germany and underwent the course of treatment in Russia.

However, this year his health condition worsened and as reported he passed away on September 18 in Moscow.

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has expressed sorrow over Sotkilava’s death.

“I would like to honor the memory of the person whose productive, creative and pedagogic activities contributed to the popularization of opera art in Georgia, at the same time representing Georgian music school in the world,” Margvelashvili stated.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili also sent condolences to the family of the singer.

“I express my great sorrow over the death of the world class opera singer and artist. I am sending my condolences to his family and relatives,” the statement of the PM reads.

Sotkilava was born in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia in 1937.

In 1965 he graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory and from 1965 to 1974 was a soloist of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Zakaria Paliashvili.

From 1966 to 1968 he was a student at La Scala where his teacher was Dinaro Barra and following that became a teacher at the Moscow Conservatory where he remained till 1988.

Six years later Sotkilava became chairman of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and was a member of the Bologna Academy of Music at which he became known for his singing of Giuseppe Verdi's works.

By 2000 he became Kinoshok chairman of Anapa Film Festival which was hosted throughout the CIS and Baltic States.

The opera singer will be buried at Saburtalo cemetery on September 23.

By Thea Morrison