Tsotne Zedginidze

Piano / composer
“Phenomenal musicians like Tsotne are born once in a century.” (Giya Kancheli)

Tsotne Zedginidze was born into a musical dynasty, a descendant of Niko Sulkhanishvili, one of the most important Georgian composers, and a renowned professor, Anastasia Abdushelishvili-Virsaladze.

Tsotne Zedginidze developed a passion for opera, ballet, instrumental and vocal music at an early age. At the age of five, he began piano lessons, which he continues to this day with his grandmother and professor Nino Mamradze. Tsotne Zedginidze began composing at the age of six and has since developed and personalized his compositional style through musical experimentation and the search for new compositional techniques.

In June 2019, Tsotne gave his first public recital in Tbilisi and was the soloist at the season-opening concert with the Georgian National Philharmonic Orchestra, performing the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 under the baton of Nikoloz Rachveli. In 2020, his piano composition “The Bells”, written in memory of his mother Irene Sulkhanishvili and during the COVID pandemic, was premiered by himself.

Tsotne has already given a considerable number of concerts in Europe and Japan, in major concert halls (e.g. Wiener Konzerthaus, Philharmonie Berlin, Tonhalle Zürich) and festivals (e.g. Bad Kissingen, Tsinandali, Lucerne), where he has performed both as a pianist and a composer: e.g. His sonata for violin and piano, written for and performed with Lisa Batiashvili, his piano duo with Sandro Niebiridze and his “Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra” with the Georgian Chamber Orchestra.

His mentors include first and foremost Lisa Batiashvili, who introduced him to her musician friends, including Daniel Barenboim, Jörg Widmann, Sir Simon Rattle, Alfred Brendel and Antonio Pappano, who all joined her in supporting him, training him and also giving him major stages. Since 2021, Tsotne has been supported by the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation.

In 2024, Sir Simon Rattle invited him three times as a soloist to perform the Schoenberg Piano Concerto with the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra, the Bartok 1st Piano Concerto with the Verbier Orchestra and Poulenc's Aubade with the BR Akademie Ensemble.

Pianistic highlights of 2025 will include a recital at the Konzerthaus Berlin at the invitation of Bechstein, a tour with the Stuttgart Philharmonic under the direction of Andrey Boreyko and the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, concerts in Tokyo and the surrounding area with the New Japan Philharmonic and also Andrey Boreyko with the Stravinsky Capriccio, as well as a recital tour in Japan, Seoul and Taipei.

On the composition side, his first symphony will be premiered on January 28, 2025 with the Camerata Salzburg under the direction of François Leleux at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg, followed by concerts in the Canary Islands, in Stockholm with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and in Edinburgh with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Each of his recital programs also includes his own compositions.

Tsotne maintains a close relationship with Medici TV, on whose platform his performances in Verbier and at the Tsinandali Festival can be seen.

November/2024