Christmas Gala Concert in Paris - opportunity for young virtuosos
By Mariam Chanishvili
Thursday, November 14
The International Gala Concert of the SOS Talents Foundation will take place on December 5, 2019, at the Marcel Dassault House on Champs-Elysees in Paris and will be participated by eight fellows from different countries.
The festive evening is traditionally held with the support of the Marcel Dassault family and Dassault Aviation Industry Company. This year the concert will be dedicated to the memory of Nicole Dassault.
Every year, the 17th-century Palace on Champs-Elysees of the family Dassault, host an exclusive gala concert. The Dassault family, including Madame Nicole Dassault, has supported SOS Talents Foundation Michel Sogny from day one.
The spectators will feature people of different nationalities and already famous virtuoso pianists, who are laureates of the SOS Talents Foundation. With the initiative and support of the famous Georgian pianist Elisso Bolkvadze, 4 young Georgian talented musicians will participate in the gala concert: Ilia Lomtatidze, Barbara Tataradze, Barbara Chkhaidze and 10-year-old Lisa Megrelishvili from Kutaisi, who is the youngest talent of the concert.
The famous Georgian pianist and UNESCO Artist for Peace, Elisso Bolkvadze noted that the "SOS Talents" Foundation offers great opportunities for young Georgian virtuosos.
“The pianists raised by the foundation have been very successful on the international scene. They have the opportunity to showcase their capabilities to visitors from all over the world. French media actively covers gala concerts for multi-million listeners. The gala concert, scheduled for December 5, will be attended by the director of the Paris Ecole Normale, who will select the candidates. With the support of the Foundation, musicians have chances to continue their studies in Paris,” she stated.
Pianist, composer and Doctor of philosophy, of Hungarian origin, Michel Sogny developed a new approach to teaching piano.
His innovative and creative method has been acclaimed by international media and by eminent personalities in classical music such as Martha Argerich, Paul Badura-Skoda, Aldo Ciccolini, France Clidat, Gyorgy Cziffra, Cyprien Katsaris, Alexis Weissenberg.
Foundation SOS Talents was established by Michel Sogny to support young pianists, and up to this date devotes his efforts to developing their talent throughout his method.
Discovering Georgian musical talents was made possible through the efforts of pianist and UNESCO's first Georgian artist, Elisso Bolkvadze. Children selected by the Foundation, in addition to the school curriculum, adopt a special technique developed by Michel Sogny that enables them to develop technical and musical abilities as quickly as possible. With the help of this foundation, many young Georgian pianists have made their way to the international stage.
Elisso Bolkvadze was designated UNESCO Artist for Peace in January 2015, in recognition of her commitment to supporting young talents in their musical education and creativity, particularly through her LYRA Foundation.
Bolkvadze is also the founder of the Batumi Music Festival, one of the most important cultural events in Georgia. This festival seeks to promote musical creativity and to strengthen cultural dialogue.
