Close Encounters 2018
By Mariam Chanishvili
Friday, October 5
Since 2005, Close Encounters festival has been held for 6 times.
Each festival featured concerts on two different stages, in two countries: Georgia and Switzerland.
The main goal of the festival was to unite and connect beginners and well-known Swiss and Georgian musicians.
The Festival of 2018/19, organized by a Georgian-Swiss pianist, Tamriko Kordzaia, provided links between old and new Swiss, Georgian and Austrian music, and connects the scenes of Swiss, Georgian and German electronic music that are constantly in motion with their character and diversity.
The first part of the festival is in Georgia in the fall of 2018 (from Tbilisi to various points of Georgia), moving to Zurich in the spring of 2019.
The festival in Georgia lasted for 6 days (29.09.18-04.10.18), featuring more than 7 concerts and many workshops.
The first concert took place on September 29 at Ilias Garden in Tbilisi. The lineup included Zagareli & Strings, Alex Kordzaia aka Kordz, Giorgi Zagareli, Natalia Beridze, Fred Robinson and Nika Machaidze aka Nikakoi.
Other two locations of Georgia are Kvtiskhevi and Telavi.
The concert in Telavi took place at Telavi Music School on October 3.
The Kavtiskhevi Concert was held on October 4 and the program featured Kordz aka Alexandre Kordzaia, Frederic Robinson, Klaus Lang, Ivana Pristasova, Karolina Ohman and Peter Conradin Zumthor.
The festival is supported by Tbilisi City Hall, Pro Helvetia, Badagoni, GAU #5, Stadt Zurich Kultur, Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung, SudKulturFonds, Stiftung Christoph Delz, Kanton Zurich, Artarea TV, Vereinigung der Freunde Georgiens in der Schweiz, Jazzclub MOODS and others.
The spring concert will be held in Zurich on March 12. The program will be presented by Georgian group – Georgia Modern - Lela Mchedlidze (Violin), Teimuraz Kharadze (Viola), Sandro Chijavadze (Violoncello), Reso Kiknadze (Saxophone), and Nino Jvania (Klavier).
