Byron School of Tbilisi commemorated Lord Byron’s death with special event
By Mariam Chanishvili
Wednesday, April 25
The Byron School of Tbilisi commemorated 194th anniversary of Lord Byron’s death with a special event on April 19. Byron died in Messolonghi, Greece on Easter Monday, 19th April, 1824.
The event was attended by the British and Greek Ambassadors, HE Justin McKenzie Smith and HE Dimitris Karabalis.
The Principal of the Byron School, Professor Innes Merabishvili delivered a speech, mentioning the 40th International Byron Conference which took place in Tbilisi State University in July 2014. About 100 delegates from 20 countries attended the conference. Among the distinguished guests were Lord Byron’s direct descendants.
After her speech, Merabishvili invited the school students to the stage to speak about Byron and recite his poems.
After their recitals, the Ambassadors recited Lord Byron’s poems. Innes Merabishvili followed them with her Georgian translated versions. Eka Patsatsia, the representative of the British Council, offered her translated version of Byron’s poem.
HE Justin McKenzie Smith congratulated the students on a fabulous recital.
“I am very happy to be here. I am sure that educational and academic connections are very important. We would like to expand these connections,” stated the British Ambassador.
HE Dimitris Karabalis talked about the importance of Lord Byron for Greece. He recited the poem “The Isles of Greece”.
Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire, for which Greeks revere him as a national hero.
By the end of the event, students of the Byron School, Luka Okros (a famous pianist and a former student of Byron School Tbilisi), Giorgi Gigashvili and Sandro Gegechkori offered a piano recital of Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Chopin. The concert was finalized by “Lord Byron’s Dream Waltz” composed by Innes Merabishvili and performed by Sandro Gegechkori.
The poetry and piano recital was followed by a reception.
The Byron School of Tbilisi was founded in 1996 as a private establishment, on the basis of the Georgian Byron Society, in collaboration with the International Byron Association.
The School is regularly involved in the leading cultural activities of the city, especially that of the Georgian Byron Society by attending meetings, conferences and lectures, delivered by Georgians or visiting scholars.
