This year’s Night Serenades is dedicated to a very special occasion: the 80th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Liana Isakadze. We spoke to Nina Tsagareli, the General Director of the Night Serenades festival and founder of the Art Alliance company, which organizes the festival, ahead of the event.
Ms. Nina, what does this milestone mean to you?
This year’s festival is especially emotional and carries a profound sense of responsibility. Liana Isakadze was not only the founder of Night Serenades; she was its soul, its vision, its driving force, and its source of inspiration. It was her artistic vision, creative freedom, and boundless love of music that shaped the unique atmosphere that continues to define the festival today.
Naturally, our Artistic Director, Liana Isakadze’s nephew, musician and educator Giorgi Issakadze, together with the entire creative team, remains deeply committed to preserving and developing the ideals she established.
Her 80th anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect not only on her remarkable legacy as a world-renowned violinist and conductor, but also on the values she left behind: unwavering dedication to the arts, artistic freedom, support for young musicians, and the belief that music has the power to unite people.
It was particularly important for us to reflect these principles in this year’s program. For that reason, we carefully designed the concerts to create a dialogue among different musical eras, cultures, and genres.
Classical music, contemporary works, tango, and Baroque repertoire coexist throughout the festival, reflecting the artistic diversity that Liana herself cherished and so masterfully brought together.
The celebration of Liana Isakadze’s 80th anniversary is therefore far more than a commemorative occasion. It is a symbol of gratitude, responsibility, and our commitment to carrying forward the rich cultural legacy she entrusted to us.
Tell us more about this year’s participants.
As always, Night Serenades will bring together an outstanding lineup of distinguished Georgian and international artists.
First, I would like to mention the renowned Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi, Principal Guest Conductor of Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón and one of Europe’s most sought-after young conductors. She collaborates with many of the world’s leading opera houses and symphony orchestras. We are especially proud that since 2025 she has served as the festival’s Principal Conductor, and this year she will conduct three festival concerts.
Joining her on stage will be the exceptional Japanese-Italian violinist Yuki Serino, winner of the International Violin Competition in Cremona, whose international career continues to flourish.
The festival is also delighted to welcome back two longtime friends of Night Serenades: Finnish cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson and Estonian violinist Anna-Liisa Bezrodny.
Jan-Erik Gustafsson serves as Artistic Director of the Korsholm Music Festival, one of Scandinavia’s most prestigious chamber music festivals. He also led the Sibelius Festival for many years, playing a key role in shaping its artistic profile and international reputation. One of today’s leading cellists, he has collaborated with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paavo Järvi, and Klaus Mäkelä, while his recordings have received numerous international nominations.
Anna-Liisa Bezrodny is Artistic Director of the Tallinn Chamber Music Festival and Artistic Director of Sinfonietta Tallinn. She is also the recipient of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Gold Medal (2006), the institution’s highest distinction, previously awarded to such distinguished musicians as Jacqueline du Pré and Bryn Terfel.
Among this year’s special guests are violinist and conductor Andrés Gabetta, founder and Artistic Director of Cappella Gabetta; internationally acclaimed bandoneon virtuoso Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi; Italian pianist Gloria Campaner; soprano Nadezhda Nesterova; the legendary Italian trumpeter Nello Salza, widely known as “Morricone’s Trumpet”; and internationally acclaimed Georgian pianists Sandro Nebieridze, Sandro Gegechkori, and Giorgi Shiolashvili.
We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to our resident orchestra, Georgian Virtuosi, led by Concertmaster Lela Mtchedlidze, and to the Giya Kancheli Tbilisi Youth Orchestra, which will participate in the festival for the first time this year.
Please tell us about this year’s concert program.
This year’s program is exceptionally diverse and fully reflects the artistic vision that Night Serenades has embraced throughout its history: a dialogue between the classical heritage and contemporary musical expression.
The festival will open with works by Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, and Mendelssohn. It will then present the remarkable project María de Buenos Aires – Reloaded, in which the music of Astor Piazzolla, the centerpiece of the program, enters into dialogue with works by Antonio Vivaldi, Nino Rota, and Luca Salvadori. While many concert programs seek to modernize the classical repertoire, this project takes the opposite approach. The music of the great 20th-century Argentine composer and creator of tango nuevo embarks on a fascinating journey into the world of the Baroque.
Another festival highlight is Tango-OPERAzione, an evening devoted entirely to the world of tango. It will feature Astor Piazzolla’s and Carlos Gardel’s best-known works, presented in a unique fusion with operatic music.
The Tbilisi concerts will include a special evening dedicated to piano music, featuring an exceptional program for solo piano and piano duo, alongside the world premiere of a new work by Sandro Nebieridze. The composition was commissioned by the festival and inspired by Liana Isakadze’s celebrated project Musicians Are Joking.
Audiences will also enjoy symphonic masterpieces by Brahms and Saint-Saëns, while the festival will conclude with the project Morricone – The Legend of the Cinema. During this special evening, the celebrated Italian trumpeter Nello Salza, known worldwide as “Morricone’s Trumpet,” will not only perform the immortal themes of the great maestro but also share stories behind their creation, along with personal memories of his friendship and collaboration with Ennio Morricone.
Alongside the concert program, the festival will host master classes led by invited soloists for students and young musicians, thematic workshops, including activities designed for people with hearing and visual impairments, an art exhibition, and a number of special surprises for festival audiences.
Where and when will the concerts take place?
This year, Night Serenades will once again be held in three Georgian cities: Borjomi, Batumi, and Tbilisi.
The festival will open on August 19 at Borjomi Likani Hotel. Concerts in Batumi will take place on August 21, 23, and 25 at the Ilia Chavchavadze State Drama Theater.
The second part of the festival will be held in Tbilisi. Concerts on September 16 and 18 will take place in the Grand Hall of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, while the closing gala concert will be held on September 20 at the Alexander Griboyedov State Academic Drama Theater.
Across seven distinctive concerts, the festival will present symphonic, chamber, tango, and film music programs, offering audiences a rich and diverse musical journey.
It certainly promises to be an unforgettable experience for audiences.
Absolutely. I am confident that this year’s Night Serenades will offer audiences many unforgettable musical experiences. These are precisely the moments that have defined our festival for so many years: encounters with extraordinary artists, exceptional music, and the unique atmosphere that only live performance can create.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all our partners, whose invaluable support has made this festival possible: the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, Creative Georgia, the Ministry of Culture of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Tbilisi City Hall, Batumi City Hall, Borjomi Municipality City Hall, the Embassy of Italy in Georgia, and the Zakaria Paliashvili Music School for Gifted Children.
My heartfelt thanks also go to our loyal audiences, whose continued support over the years has strengthened our belief that Night Serenades is truly a unique musical space. I am certain this year’s program offers something for everyone, whether one is drawn to symphonic music, chamber repertoire, tango, or film music. Each concert has its own atmosphere, story, and emotional world, and it is precisely this diversity that gives the festival its distinctive character.
Night Serenades continues and will continue to follow the path envisioned by Liana Isakadze. I believe this would have been her greatest wish: for the festival to remain a vibrant, evolving platform for international artistic dialogue, where outstanding musicians, young performers, and devoted audiences come together through the universal language of music.
