Pianist Beka Gochiashvili to Perform for Tbilisi Flood Victims

A young, talented Georgian Jazzman and pianist Beka Gochiashvili is in Tbilisi to perform charity concert for the Tbilisi flood victims.

After graduating from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, 19-year-old pianist was to live in US and visited his hometown rarely; but on August 12 Gochiashvili will perform as part of a trio with his friends Martin Jaffe – bass and Jimmy Macbride – drums in the garden of the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi.

Money raised from the concert will go for relief of the victims of June 13 flood. The concert tickets cost 80 to 100 lari and are already available as at the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi, every day from 3pm to 9pm, as well as online on the website www.biletebi.ge.

Gochiashvili’s talent was renowned at an early age. When he was 13 he participated in the prestigious Bosendorfer Solo Jazz Piano competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and was awarded with the first place prize. He is the youngest recipient of the top award at this highly acclaimed annual festival.

Now, at age of 19, he is an established member of the Stanley Clarke Band and has toured extensively with the jazz master over the last year.

His name is recognized in the Jazz industry by people all over the world. His talents were praised by American Jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea, who said: "Beka Gochiashvili is a brilliant young piano prodigy. You’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the next few years.”

Gochiashvili played together with Corea in 2012 when the American musician came to Georgia and performed in the Tbilisi Jazz Festival.

Meanwhile, at least 23 people lost their lives and about 400 left without home after devastating flood in Tbilisi on June 13. The flood destroyed several enclosures of the Tbilisi Zoo, killing more than 300 animals and letting the rest of them on loose in the streets of the Capital.