Georgian-American Pianist and Composer Giorgi Latsabidze was born 15 April 1978 in Tbilisi, Georgia. His hands first met the keys of a piano when he was three years old, an experience he vividly remembers to this day, as he knew at that moment that this instrument would be the most important thing in his life.

At the age of five he even began composing pieces, making use of these occasional opportunities. By the time that Latsabidze was six years old, however, his increasingly evident enthusiasm for the instrument was rewarded when his family obtained a piano and he began formal studies.

Today at thirty-one, Latsabidze is already regarded by many as one of the more significant performers and composers of his generation.

During this time, Latsabidze has studied with numerous great teachers, including Russudan Chodzava (Tbilisi State Conservatoire), Gerrit Zitterbart (Hannover Hochschule), Klaus Kaufmann (Mozarteum), and Lazar Berman (Florence, Italy). Currently he continues study (University of Southern California) with the notable Concert Pianist, Author, University Administrator, Educator, Composer and Music Editor, Dr. Stewart Gordon.

A composer as well, Latsabidze scored the film Waltz-Fantasy, winner of a best music award in Italy. He is a founder Onward Entertainment, an independent film company in Los Angeles, having scored its first film Twilight’s Grace, now being praised at film festivals throughout the United States.

Awards

• International “Ennio Porrino” Piano Competition Diploma di Merito (1998, Cagliari, Italy)
• Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition First Prize (1999, Paris, France)
• Vladimir Spivakov Award (2001, Georgia)
• Georgian Presidential Scholarship (1999–2003, Georgia)
• Georgian Presidential Prize (1999, 2002, 2003, Georgia)
• DAAD, German Academic Exchange Award (translation), (2003, 2004, Germany)
• MTNA Academic Achievement Recognition of Excellence Award (2004, Los Angeles, California)
• Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Competition Award, Salzburg (2005, Austria)
• Keyboard Studies Department Award presented by Thornton School of Music, USC (10 May 2007, Los Angeles, California)
• Carol Hogel Music Scholarship presented by Thornton School of Music, USC (5 December 2008, Los Angeles, California
• Original Music score composed by Giorgi Latsabidze for the Film Waltz-Fantasy, winner of a best music award in Italy (2000)

Discography

• The IG Duo performs works by Szymanowski, Brahms, Bizet-Waxman, Latsabidze. Live performance at Wigmore Hall, London UK on Ocotber 4th, 2010. Produced by Oscar Torres. Camera operators: Daniel Gonzalez, Ronan Sweeney.
• Auf den Spuren von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, DVD documentary on Latsabidze in Salzburg, Austria, produced by K-TV Austria, 2005
• Original music score composed by Latsabidze for the film Twilight’s Grace, produced and directed by J.G. Weaver, 2006
• Latsabidze: The Recital, DVD documentary on Latsabidze with live performance at Alfred Newman Recital Hall, Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, 2 November 2008
• Giorgi Latsabidze Plays Debussy Preludes Book 2 (12, complete), live multimedia performance at Alfred Newman Recital Hall, Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, 20 November 2009

He mesmerizes concertgoers and critics, who have praised “Sheer poetry and art of the highest order” (Berliner Zeitung, Germany) and “Today’s piano playing at its very best” (Salzburger Nachrichten, Austria).