Giorgi Latso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giorgi Latso
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| გიორგი ლაცაბიძე | |
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| Born |
Giorgi Latsabidze
15 April 1978 |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California Mozarteum University Salzburg Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover Tbilisi State Conservatoire |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Anna Fedorova-Latso
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Irakli Latsabidze Medea Latsabidze |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Classical |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Labels |
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Giorgi Latso (born Giorgi Latsabidze, Georgian: გიორგი ლაცაბიძე, 15 April 1978) is a famous Georgian-American concert pianist. He is also a composer and arranger of music. Latso has won many international piano competitions and awards. He is especially known for playing music by Chopin and Debussy. He started the Amadeus International Foundation. His concerts have been shown on TV and radio in many parts of the world.
Contents
Early Life and Music Studies
Giorgi Latso was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. He began playing the piano when he was six years old. He performed in public for the first time at age eight. He studied at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. Later, he earned master's degrees in Germany and Austria. He also studied at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. There, he learned from Stewart L. Gordon, a very respected teacher.
Music Career and Performances
Latso has played at big music festivals around the world. These include places like Salzburg, Vienna, and Beijing. He often plays his own music and special versions of other songs.
After one concert in Austria, a newspaper said he was a "technically brilliant pianist." An English magazine praised his recording of Debussy's Preludes. They said it showed "extraordinary imagination."
Latso also writes music for movies. He won an award for his film score Waltz-Fantasy in Italy in 2000. He has also written other pieces, like Cyber Moment for violin and piano. This piece was first played in London in 2010.
He has recorded many famous classical pieces. These include Chopin's 24 Études and 24 Preludes. He also recorded J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations.
Latso has worked with many well-known musicians. These include Ernest Fleischmann and Ivo Pogorelić.
Giorgi Latso has played in many concerts to help others. These include shows in Taipei City, Vienna, and Teatro Colón in Bogota. One newspaper called him a "magnificent pianist and a magician of impeccable technique."
He recorded music by Ignatz Waghalter with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This recording was for Naxos Records.
His performances have been broadcast on radio and TV in many countries. He has been listed in important books like Who's Who in America.
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI invited him to perform in Rome. He played Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Vienna Philharmonic. Latso also made his debut at the famous Berliner Philharmonie concert hall in 2012. He played at the Slovak Philharmonic in 2014.
From 2013 to 2019, he lived in Vienna. He taught special classes called masterclasses at universities. He also helps judge music competitions. From 2015 to 2018, he was a guest professor in Spain. Latso gives masterclasses at top music schools worldwide. These include the Moscow Conservatory and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
In 2013, Latso started The Latsos Piano Duo with his wife, Anna Fedorova-Latso. They perform piano concerts together all over the world. They also play at music festivals and conferences. One of their concerts was filmed by TV in Beverly Hills. The duo often plays concerts to help charities. They support groups that help children with special needs and hospital patients. In 2019, they played a concert to help children with cancer in Georgia.
A review of his 2020 performance in Colombia said his piano playing was "as mighty as the 100 member orchestra." It also praised his clear and warm sound.
In 2021, Giorgi Latso became an honorary Ambassador for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2022, he won the International Adjudicator Award in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In 2023, his four-hand piano arrangement of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" was published. It is protected by the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
In 2024, he started the Amadeus International Foundation. This group helps young, talented pianists with master classes and concerts. He is the CEO and artistic director of this foundation.
Musical Inspirations
Latso has shared which pianists have inspired him. He mentioned Maria João Pires from those he heard live. From recordings, he was inspired by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Vladimir Sofronitsky, and Dinu Lipatti. He feels most connected to the style of Vladimir Horowitz.
Awards and Recognitions
- Yehudi Menuhin Federation Competition in Salzburg, Austria
- Young Artist International Piano Competition in Los Angeles
- Ennio Porrino International Competition in Italy
- Rubinstein International Competition in France
- Beverly Hills National Auditions
- Vladimir Spivakov Award (Moscow virtuosi) in 2001
- Georgian Presidential Prize in 1999/2002
- German Marion Dönhoff Trust Award in 2002
- German Academic Exchange Award in 2004
- Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Academic Achievement Recognition of Excellence Award in 2004
- Herbert Batliner Trust Award in 2005
- USC Keyboard Studies Department Award in 2007 and 2011
- American philanthropist Carol Hogel Music Scholarship in 2008
- H.S.H. Princess Marie Aglaë of Liechtenstein
- Honoured as a Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons in New York City in January 2013
- Honorary member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic International Committee, 2021
- International Adjudicator Award, Malaysia Gold Award Ceremony 2022, Book of Records, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 2022
- Steinway Ensemble Artist designation conferred by Steinway & Sons, New York City August, 2023
Teaching Music
Latso has taught master classes and performed in many countries. He is a concert pianist, a professor, and an international judge. From 2007 to 2010, he was president of a music teachers' group at the USC Thornton School of Music. In 2010, Latso was chairman for a piano exam committee in Taiwan. He has taught at the University of Southern California and other colleges. From 2013 to 2020, he was a professor in Vienna, Austria. He often gives presentations at music teacher conferences in the United States.
Music Recordings
Latso has made many recordings and appeared on TV. These include DVDs and CDs of music by famous composers. Some of these composers are Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin.
His recordings include:
- 2005: DVD: Auf den Spuren von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; a documentary about Latso in Salzburg.
- 2006: DVD: Original music for the film Twilight's Grace.
- 2008: CD: Johannes Brahms: The Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34.
- 2009: CD: Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben; Debussy: Ariettes oubliées.
- 2009: CD/DVD: Latsabidze: The Recital.
- 2010: DVD: The IG-Duo performs works by Szymanowski, Brahms, Bizet-Waxman, Latsabidze. Filmed at Wigmore Hall, UK.
- 2010: CD/DVD: Giorgi Latsabidze plays Claude Debussy; 12 Préludes (Book II).
- 2011: DVD: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467.
- 2011: CD/DVD: Frédéric Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28; Robert Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16.
- 2011: CD: Giorgi Latsabidze: The Composer & Transcriber.
- 2012: CD: Waghalter, I.: Violin Concerto / Rhapsody / Violin Sonata (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Trynkos, Latsabidze, A. Walker). Naxos Records.
- 2013: DVD: documentary: Piano for Piggies.
- 2014: CD: Latso plays Debussy's Estampes & Images (1ere série).
- 2016: CD: Chopin: 4 Scherzi.
- 2017: CD: Giorgi Latso - "Der Pianist".
- 2019: "The Latsos Piano Duo" - Documentary film by Beverly Hills Warner Cable Television.
You can find performances online of Latso playing many pieces. These include Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 and Chopin's 24 Preludes. He also plays Liszt's 12 Transcendental Études and his own version of "The Stars and Stripes Forever".
See also
In Spanish: Giorgi Latsabidze para niños
