Yerkin Tatishev brings David Garrett to Tsinandali Festival

The annual Tsinandali Festival, established by Kusto Group founder Yerkin Tatishev, among others, is bringing the German violinist David Garrett to its 2023 program.

The Tsinandali Festival is a classical music festival that takes place from August 31^st to September 10^th in the Georgian village of Tsinandali, 100 km east of the capital, Tbilisi.

David Garrett takes the stage on September 7^th at 19.00 as part of his Iconic Tour. He is expected to perform songs by Mozart, Vivaldi, Fauré, Dvořák, Schubert, Kreisler and Saint-Saëns, among others.

David Garrett is known for merging classical and contemporary music, which he, for instance, has done with Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”

Apart from hearing David Garrett’s renditions of old and new classics, the Tsinandali Festival audience will also get the chance to experience the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra, Nino Kasradze, Alexander Malofeev and Augustin Hadelich, among others.

One of the Tsinandali Festival veterans is the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra, which performs at the festival every year.

While the members of the group are from Turkey, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, they make up the festival’s resident orchestra.

Yerkin Tatishev aims to promote the language of music

The Tsinandali Festival was founded by Yerkin Tatishev, George Ramishvili, David Borger, Alex Topuria and Martin Engstroem in 2019. Since then, and despite COVID-19 restrictions, the festival has managed to bring classical musicians, mainly from the Caucasus and Central Asian regions, to Tsinandali every year.

“Rarely in life does one come across an opportunity this unique – a chance to help lay the foundations for the establishment of a center for cultural exchange and the gathering of human and intellectual capital. United by music and a common understanding of the centrality of the arts, Tsinandali will be a place where people from all cultures – in particular young people – will participate in open exchanges in a dynamic and free environment and have a continuous journey of discovery. It is my hope that the dream of Tsinandali will be shared by countless visitors for many generations to come,” Yerkin Tatishev said when the festival first saw the light of day.

The Tsinandali Festival was created with the purpose of promoting the language of music in the area between Asia and Europe. The aim of the festival is to provide exceptional chances for aspiring musicians from the Caucasus and nearby countries to delve into the realm of music and enhance their musical education.

This is accomplished through expert seminars and masterclasses taught by some of the most accomplished figures in classical music today.

COVID-19: When others cancel, the Tsinandali Festival carries on

The Tsinandali Festival made headlines in 2020 and 2021 when Yerkin Tatishev and his fellow co-founders succeeded in pulling off the festival despite numerous COVID-19 restrictions.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many countries introduced various restrictions in order to curb the spread of the virus. The restrictions included a limit to how many people could be gathered in one place, the cancelation of events and travel restrictions.

While many festivals all over the world were canceled due to restrictions, the limitations did not stop the Tsinandali Festival. However, some artists were prevented from attending the festivities because of travel restrictions.

“Throughout all the hardship of the past 18 months, the festival has still managed to bring together classical music lovers in Tsinandali’s magnificent surroundings. It has been a source of light in a time of darkness,” Yerkin Tatishev wrote on LinkedIn after the 2021 festival.

Festival in historic and forested Tsinandali surroundings

Drawing inspiration from Switzerland’s classical music festival Verbier, Yerkin Tatishev and the other co-founders aimed to create a similar event in Georgia.

In 2019, the Tsinandali Festival became the first of its kind in the region and was held at the historic Tsinandali Estate.

Every year, the festivities take place at the same location, which was once the home of Georgian poet Prince Alexander Chavchavadze in the 19th century.

The estate suffered decay during Soviet rule but has since been renovated and features two hotels, an amphitheater, a chamber music hall and a vineyard. The Tsinandali Estate is located in a forested area that typically draws many tourists.

“Our vision for the Tsinandali Estate from day one, when Silk Road Group engaged with the project, was to establish a meaningful and sustainable cultural and educational center in Georgia. Our friends and partners joined the project with the same understanding. The importance of the Language of Music initiative cannot be underestimated, as music is the most powerful ambassador for peace, prosperity and for strengthening cultural and economic ties between Caucasian nations,” co-founder George Ramishvili said.