Georgia: A working meeting was held with STEINWAY & SONS company representatives at the Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatory of Tbilisi.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Tea Tsulukiani, President of STEINWAY & SONS Gido Zimmerman, Regional Director Anton Wilhelm, Artistic Director of Zakaria Paliashvili Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Academic Theater Badri Maisuradze and Main Financier of Steinway New York Factory.
Guests viewed the Conservatory Building and the Steinway & Sons royals in action. Conservatory pianist, Tato Alania practiced Steinway’s concert royals and performed Scriabin’s “Two Poems” Op. 32 for guests. Tato Alania studied at Tbilisi State Conservatory from 2011-2019 in Professor Nutsa Chirakadze’s class and is a graduate of Master’s degree.
During the working meeting, the discussion covered procedures for the import of royals in 2024 and future supplies. The attention has also been focused on promoting other music and educational institutions. In September this year, Zakaria Paliashvili Central Music School’s “Decade of Talents” and Evgeni Mikeladze Street.
Tbilisi Central Music School will receive, free of charge from Steinway, for trial, two or two new instruments – Royal and Piano. In addition, Tea Tsulukiani presented the position of the Minister of Culture of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Maya Khajishvili, on future cooperation with Steinway and Sons.
During talks with Steinway representatives, the minister once again discussed the issue of allowing the company to train Georgian piano specialists and to train them in the Steinway factory in Hamburg, funded by the ministry, in order to properly maintain this large fund of instruments.
We remind you that as a result of fruitful negotiations, with the help of the Georgian Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture signed a multi-year state acquisition agreement with the world-renowned manufacturer “Steinway & Son”.
According to the document, the Conservatory will be handed over 78 Royals step by 2025, from here:
17 Royals – in 2022;
61 Royals – in 2023-25, annually based on models and quantities determined by the Conservatory.
In 2022, he was allocated 1 753,000 Euros for Royals, and in 2022-25 – 8 012 636 Euros.
On September 14, 2022, the Ministry of Culture of Georgia received nine Steinway royals and the Conservatory Royals Fund was renewed after a 50-year disconnection. Five of the nine royals are working royals, two are semi-concertos and two are for chamber ensembles. Also, on December 8, 2022, the Conservatory received its second batch of royals, eight working royals. On June 15, 2023, the third party of royals got seven jobs.
By the end of September this year, the Conservatory will have 11 more auditions complete with 13 royals.
According to the contract, together with calling the royals, the company is obliged to send engineers to Georgia periodically, who will perform (assemble) musical instruments for free, technical inspection and also prepare local specialists (assembling) for a long time, as the profession of assembly has become rare in Georgia.
Notably, this acquisition for Steinway, a company with many years of history across Europe, is considered unprecedented.
Also, we would like to remind you that in November last year, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia was on a working visit to the company “Steinway and Sons” in Hamburg, Germany. Tea Tsulukiani met company president Guido Zimmerman and regional director Anton Wilhelm. The minister inspected the factory of “STEINWAY & SONS” royals, including eight royals for Georgia, which were supposed to be shipped from Hamburg on November 25.
World-renowned Georgian pianist Alexander Korsantia visited the company together with the minister to inspect the party and further cooperate with the company. He performed several pieces on one of the royals.
Sadly, the shortage of musical instruments is not just an issue of conservatives but other arts schools as well. Instruments are in special need: Tbilisi Central Music School named after Evgeni Mikeladze, where musical instruments were last bought in the 70’s, Gori Music College (after 1971, the college has not purchased a new instrument), Rustavi Music School (instruments have not been renewed since 60’s) and many others.
With the help of the state, in October 2021, for the first time in the last 50 years, the base of instruments was renewed at the Central Music School named after Zakaria Paliashvili – “Decade of Talents”.
The Ministry of Culture has purchased brand new, high-quality musical instruments for students: ROYAL STEINWAY & SONS (Essex Piano)”, flute, horn, trombone, classical guitar, percussion instruments, xylophone and valtorna, however, the shortage of instruments in the “decade of talent” remains an actual issue.
