Giorgi Gigashvili
PianoNominated by Konzerthaus Dortmund Kölner Philharmonie Philharmonie Luxembourg NOSPR Katowice Season 2025-2026
Photo © Kelly de Geer
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2000, Giorgi studied the piano without ever thinking about a professional career as a pianist. He is passionate about the folksongs of his country, which he likes to arrange and sing. He even participated in the Georgian ‘The Voice’ and won the competition at the age of thirteen! However, he continued his musical training at the Paliashvili Central Music School for Gifted Children and entered the Tbilisi State Conservatory in the class of Revaz Tavadze.
In April 2019 he won First Prize at Vigo International Piano Competition, with Martha Argerich as president of the jury. In 2021, he received the Hortense Anda-Bührle Special Prize at the Fifteenth Géza Anda Piano Competition in Zurich; this was followed by an invitation to take part in the KlavierOlymp in Bad Kissingen, where he won First Prize and the Audience Prize. In March 2023, Giorgi celebrated another great success: He won the 2nd Prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and was also awarded the Junior Jury Prize, the Prize for the best chamber music and 5 out of 6 audience prizes. In spring 2024, he received the Terrence Judd-Hallé Award.
His debut album “Meeting my Shadow” was released in April 2023 with Alpha Classics. The album has been highly acclaimed since its release: It reveals his full palette of colours; featuring Scarlatti, Beethoven, Scriabin and Messiaen.
In the season 2024/2025, Giorgi will perform with the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra as well as with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin (amongst others). Chamber music highlights of the season include recitals at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Konzerthaus in Vienna and at the Wigmore Hall in London.
Giorgi is combining his career as a classical pianist with his passion for electronic and experimental music: “Georgian on my mind” is a program featuring singer Nini Nutsubidze and is connecting Georgian folk songs with classical pieces by e.g. Chopin or Bartók. “Serious Music” featuring Nikala is a one-of-a-kind stage experiment where classics meet modernity, a synthesis of academic and electronic music. Both projects, as well as the world premiere of Giorgi’s self- composed work for orchestra, piano and electronics can be heard as part of his fellowship at the Beethovenfest Bonn in September 2024.
In 2023/24 Giorgi studied with Kirill Gerstein at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin; before, he studied with Nelson Goerner in Geneva for 2 years. He is supported by the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation and the Géza Anda-Foundation. Since 2023, he is supported by Bayer Kultur’s stArtacademy and the Orpheum Foundation for the advancement of young soloists. Giorgi has also been selected a BBC New Generation Artist 2023-2025 and has been nominated ECHO Rising Star for the season 2025/26.