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, pianist, composer |
| 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 a Doctor of Musical Arts. Giorgi Latso has won many international piano competitions and awards.
He is especially known for playing the music of Chopin and Debussy. He also started the Amadeus International Foundation. His concerts have been shown on radio and TV in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
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Becoming a Musician
Latso was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. He started learning piano when he was six years old. He played his first public concert at age eight.
He later studied at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. In 2004, he earned master's degrees in Germany and Austria. He then continued his studies in Los Angeles, United States.
Performing Around the World
Giorgi Latso has played at many big music festivals. These include events in Salzburg, Vienna, Berlin, and Beijing. He has performed solo concerts all over the world.
His concerts often include his own music. He also plays his own special versions of famous songs. After playing Beethoven's "Emperor Concerto," an Austrian newspaper called him a "technically brilliant pianist." An English magazine praised his recording of Debussy's Preludes. They said it showed "extraordinary imagination."
Latso wrote music for the film Waltz-Fantasy. He won an award for this at a film festival in Italy in 2000. He also composed "Variations on a Theme of J. S. Bach". Another piece, "Cyber Moment," was played for the first time in London in 2010.
He has recorded many famous piano pieces. These include Chopin's 24 Études and 24 Preludes. He also recorded Liszt's 12 Transcendental Études.
Latso has worked with many other great musicians. These include Ernest Fleischmann and Ivo Pogorelić.
Latso has played many concerts to help others. These include shows in Taipei City, Vienna, and Teatro Colón in Bogota. A newspaper called him a "magnificent pianist and a magician of impeccable technique."
He recorded music by Ignatz Waghalter for Naxos Records. He played with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
His performances have been broadcast on radio and TV. He was listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Art.
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI invited him to play for him in Vatican City. Latso played Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Vienna Philharmonic. He also made his debut at the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin in 2012. In 2014, he played at the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava.
From 2015 to 2018, he was a guest professor in Barcelona, Spain. Latso often teaches masterclasses at top music schools. These include the Tchaikovsky 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 duets all over the world. Their concerts have been filmed and streamed online. The duo also plays concerts to support charities. They help organizations that serve children with special needs and hospital patients. In May 2019, they played a concert to help children with cancer in Georgia.
A review of his 2020 concert in Teatro Colón said his piano playing was "as mighty as the 100 member orchestra." It also praised his "clarity of articulation" and "warm, soft-grained tone."
In April 2021, Giorgi Latso became an honorary Ambassador for the Los Angeles Philharmonic International Committee. In 2022, he received an "International Adjudicator Award" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In 2023, his four-hand arrangement of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" was published. It is protected by the National Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
In 2024, he created the Amadeus International Foundation. This group helps young, talented pianists. He is the CEO and artistic director of this foundation.
Musical Inspirations
Latso has spoken about the pianists who inspired him. He mentioned Maria João Pires as someone he heard live. From recordings, he was inspired by Rachmaninoff and Sofronitsky. He feels closest to Vladimir Horowitz in terms of musical style.
Awards and Recognitions
Giorgi Latso has received many honors and awards, including:
- 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 and 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
- Award from H.S.H. Princess Marie Aglaë of Liechtenstein
- Honored as a Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons in New York City in 2013
- Honorary member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic International Committee, 2021
- International Adjudicator Award, Malaysia Gold Award Ceremony 2022, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 2022
- Steinway Ensemble Artist designation by Steinway & Sons, New York City in August 2023
Teaching and Mentoring
Latso has given master classes and concerts in many countries. He is a concert pianist, a professor, and an international judge for music competitions. From 2007 to 2010, he was president of the MTNA chapter 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. In the United States, he often presents at music teacher conferences.
Music Recordings
Latso has made many recordings and appeared in TV shows. These include DVDs and CDs of music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and Debussy.
Some of 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 of Latso playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 and Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28 online. He also plays Liszt's 12 Transcendental Études and the "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by Sousa-Horowitz-Latsabidze.
See also
In Spanish: Giorgi Latsabidze para niños
