BBC New Generation Artists: Giorgi Gigashvili and Nikala

About

BBC Radio 3 New Generation artist Giorgi Gigashvili (piano) is joined by multi-instrumentalist Nikala for Serious Music. A one-of-a-kind stage experiment featuring classical music, pop, electro and hip-hop, Serious Music is a conversation between voice, piano and electronics.

Giorgi Gigashvili – Piano

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Giorgi studied the piano at the Paliashvili Central Music School for Gifted Children and entered the Tbilisi State Conservatory in the class of Professor Revaz Tavadze. He won First Prize in the Vigo International Piano Competition (2019) and the Special Prize at the Fifteenth Géza Anda Competition in Zurich (2021). This was followed by an invitation to take part in the KlavierOlymp in Bad Kissingen, where Giorgi won First Prize and the Audience Prize. In 2023, he won 2nd Prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and was also awarded the Junior Jury Prize, the prize for the best chamber music and five out of six audience prizes.

Since autumn 2023, Giorgi has been studying with Kirill Gerstein at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He is supported by the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation and the Géza Anda Foundation. In the 2022/23 season he was a Classeek Ambassador artist and since 2023 has been supported by Bayer Kultur's stARTacademy.

Giorgi's debut album Meeting my Shadow was released in April 2023 with Alpha Classics. The CD has been highly acclaimed since its release: It reveals his full palette of colours; featuring Scarlatti, Beethoven, Scriabin and Messiaen.

Alongside his career as a classical pianist, he has created an electronic and experimental music group, Tsduneba, which means 'temptation' in Georgian.

Nikala

Nikoloz Zubiashvili, known by his artist name Nikala, is a musician from Georgia. Growing up in a musical family, he was inspired by his mother's piano playing, and taught himself to play the guitar, drums, saxophone, and keyboards.

Aged 17, Nikala began making his own music, learning to produce and experimenting with different styles to create his unique sound. He studied music at the Tbilisi State Conservatory and learned about sound engineering at CES (Creative Education Studio) Tbilisi.

Today, Nikala enjoys making music that blends different styles and sounds. He's a rising star in Georgia's music scene and is excited to share his music with the world.

Works featured:

Prokofiev – Piano Sonata No.7 in B♭ major, Op. 83
Shostakovich – Symphony No.7 in C major, Op. 60 and Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.65
Chopin – Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9 No.2
Debussy – Clare de Lune
Chopin – Prelude, Op. 28, No.4

This concert will be recorded by BBC Radio 3 to be broadcast at a later date.

Concert format and pricing:

This hour-long, bite-sized concert is an ideal introduction to different genres of music – and with a recommended ticket price, you decide what you pay. Tickets are general admission with no reserved seating. To book tickets, click the 'book now' link at the top of this page.