The traditional introductory press conference of the Batumi-Tbilisi International Classical Music Festival ‘Night Serenades’ was held in the Ilia Chavchavadze State Drama Theater of Batumi this week. There, Giorgi Isakadze, artistic director of ‘Night Serenades’; Nina Tsagareli, Director of the festival; Merab Kidzinidze, Head of the Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Department of Batumi City Hall; and Tamar Gudava, Head of the Adjara Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, spoke about this year’s festival.
“I am very happy that the anniversary festival is being held in Batumi this year. We created a very interesting program, we did a great job,” Isakadze noted. “Interesting musicians will be presented to the audience from Batumi and Tbilisi, among them excellent pianist Katie Mahan, born in America and living in Salzburg, and Sabine Grofmeier, a sophisticated and very interesting clarinetist representing the Western School.
“At the concerts in Tbilisi, we will meet the trio ‘Gloria Campaner ,’ made up of Alessandro Carbonare, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi and Gloria Campaneri, with the program ‘Astori’. And Andres Gabetta, a representative of a great musical family, an excellent violinist, will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s concerts in baroque style for the audience,” Isakadze said, summarizing with: “A lot of surprises await the festival guests. The listeners will be satisfied with the rich program. We are looking forward to the opening of the festival!”
Nina Tsagareli, festival director then spoke about the organizational aspect of the 2022 Festival.
“Four concerts will be held in Batumi and Tbilisi over a month,” she said. “Traditionally, the festival opens in the city of Batumi. The concerts on August 25 and 26 will be held in the Ilia Chavchavadze Drama Theater with brilliant soloists Sabine Grofmeier and Katie Mahan, and our excellent base orchestra ‘Georgian Virtuosi.’ Then the festival will move to the Grand Hall of the Tbilisi Conservatoire. The Tbilisi concerts will be dedicated to the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Georgia, and Italy and Georgia.
“On behalf of the festival, I would like to thank our partners and media supporters,” Tsagareli added.
“During the project, there will be many masterclasses, workshops, art exhibitions, as well as the presentation of the book ‘Celebration of Music.’”
Merab Kidzinidze, Head of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Department of Batumi City Hall talked at the press conference of the importance of the Festival.
“The festival ‘Night Serenades’ is very important; it is connected with the cultural life of the city. This is a tradition. We support this festival both financially and organizationally, because it stands out for its solidity, high skill of performers and high taste.”
“Night Serenades celebrates its 40th anniversary this year,” Tamar Gudava noted. “It is symbolic that it was established in Abkhazia, and restored in Adjara, and it is being held for the 14th time since its restoration. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara traditionally supports this very important festival, and we hope that the festival will return to Abkhazia one day soon.”
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The founder of the festival is Liana Isakadze, the artistic director is Giorgi Isakadze, and the director is Nina Tsagareli. The Night Serenades festival is organized by “Art Alliance” company and supported by: Batumi City Hall; the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Tbilisi City Hall, the Italian Embassy in Georgia, the French Embassy in Georgia, and the French Institute at the French Embassy.
The official insurer of the festival is “Ardi”.
Hilton Garden Inn Tbilisi is the host of the festival.
Partners: furniture house “Nita”, the best guarantee of quality and design, “Food Alliance” company, “Lutecia” perfume store chain, “Aromateca” perfume boutique, “Sarajishvili” company, “Khomlis Marani”, “Tiesvi” winery, pharmaceutical company ” PSP”.
Media supporters: Adjara Public Broadcaster, First Channel of Georgia, Rustavi2 TV Company, Imedi TV Company, Pos TV, Georgian Times Media Holding, Ertsulovenba Patriarchal Television, Artarea – the first channel on culture, TV25, Media and digital communications agency Clip Art, Eword, news agency Prime Time, Georgian Press, English-language newspaper Georgia Today, daily English-language newspaper Messenger, Sarke magazine, Newspaper Adjara, Fortuna radio and website Fortuna.ge.
By Ana Dumbadze
