Giorgi Latso

Georgian-American pianist Giorgi Latso has been called “a magician of impeccable technique” and simply “magnificent” by Liechtensteiner Volksblatt. The Los Angeles Times praises his "internal wealth and ‘aristocratic' spirit” and Lie: Zeit his "transcendental technique and depth of musical thinking”. After playing Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto at WUK Kulturhaus Der Standard hailed him as “a technically brilliant pianist imbued with touching lyricism and genuine depth”. This electrifying performance led to an invitation by Pope Benedict XVI to play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. On the wave of this huge success Giorgi was granted a private audience at the Vatican.

Subsequent tours of the USA, Taiwan and Japan brought him sold-out concert halls including the Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Kaufman Concert Hall in New York, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo as well as international acclaim. Other major concert highlights include worldwide venues such as Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, London’s Wigmore Hall, Mozarteum Concert Hall in Salzburg and Berliner Philharmonie, after which Berliner Kurier described him as an “extremely imaginative and mature artist with extraordinary musical intelligence”. He has also appeared at prestigious music festivals such as the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Festival, Monte-Carlo Piano Masters, Lockenhaus Chamber Festival, Le Musiques Festival, Beijing Music Festival, the Steinway Piano Festival, Gulangyu Piano Festival and Salzburger Festspiele.

As a passionate recording artist, Giorgi “has an ability to interpret any repertoire he chooses with great sense of style and emotional depth” as revealed by Mezzo Magazine. Among his landmark albums are Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Liszt's 12 Transcendental Études as well as Debussy’s 24 Préludes, for which Rhinegold’s Classical Music praised his “extraordinary imagination and a musical tone rarely heard”. NAXOS’ Waghalter Album, which he recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist Irmina Trynkos under the baton of Alexander Walker, won Pizzicato’s coveted Supersonic Award. His genuine persona has attracted the attention of many international media programmes. This has given life to the documentary “On the steps of Mozart” about his life, which was produced by KTV Austria and broadcasted across Europe. Considered one of Georgia’s “Top 10 International Public Personalities” he is a regular guest on TV channels including Imedi TV, Rustavi TV and most recently Iberia TV, which featured him on the prestigious “Open Studio” program. His recordings are broadcasted around the world by major radios like BBC 3, Rai Radio Classica, BR-KLASSIK,, WHQR Washington DC and others. Latso, winner of the Best Music Award at the Bologna Film Festival for his music to “Waltz-Fantasy”, is a sought-after composer. His versatile works also include film music for “Twilight's Grace” (IMDb) as well as Variations on a Theme by J. S. Bach and Cyber Moment for violin and piano to name a few.

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. Born into a non-musical family, music appealed to him so much that he began composing piano at the age of five. He pursued his development at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover and at the famed Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He later moved to the United States for his doctoral degree in piano performance at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he settled and became a naturalized American citizen. His artistic prominence and international awards, including 1st Prize at the Rubinstein International Competition and the Spivakov Award resulted in a professorship at the Vienna Prayner Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Arts in Austria. Latso also frequently gives masterclasses at some of the world’s leading music academies, including Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts and the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. Since 2013, Giorgi Latso has been honoured to be a Steinway Artist.