Georgia: The Georgian Minister of Culture and Sports, Thea Tsulukiani, visited the Central Music School named after Zakaria Paliashvili in Tbilisi, also known as the “Decade of Talents” school, on February 20, 2024, Tuesday.
She met with the famous Georgian pianist Giorgi Vachnadze, who is the director of the school and inspected the ongoing rehabilitation works of the building.
The school, which was established in 1934 and has produced many renowned Georgian composers, musicians, and music scholars, is undergoing a major renovation project funded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Georgia and the Kartu Foundation.
The project aims to restore the historical and cultural value of the building, as well as to improve the learning and teaching environment for the students and teachers.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the rehabilitation works started in 2022 and will be completed in 2024. The project includes the demolition of the damaged roof and unused fragments of the building, the reinforcement of the whole structure, the installation of an additional floor for a concert hall, the installation of a heating system, and internal renovations. The total budget for the project is 6.7 million GEL.
Until the completion of the project, the school is temporarily functioning in another building on Kazbegi Avenue. The school currently has about 300 students, who receive musical education from the professors of the State Conservatory. The school is known for its tradition of musical upbringing of children, which was granted the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia in March 2020.
The school has also achieved remarkable results in the international arena, as more than 80 students have been awarded in prestigious competitions and festivals in the past five years. Some of the notable alumni of the school include Sulkhan Tsintsadze, Gia Kancheli, Eliso Virsaladze, Khatia Buniatishvili, and the members of the Georgian String Quartet.
Thea Tsulukiani expressed her admiration for the school and its achievements and praised the efforts of Giorgi Vachnadze and his team for preserving and developing the musical heritage of Georgia. She also reaffirmed the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports for the project and the school.
