Alexander Beridze
Pianist, Teacher, Founder of New York Piano Festival
Hailed by American Record Guide as an “exceptional artist,” pianist Alexander Beridze thrills audiences and critics alike with his dazzling precision and range, as well as his insightful eloquence and sensitivity. Gold Medalist of the 2009 World Piano Competition, Beridze made his New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in 2011 where critics called his performance “brilliant, superb and simply electrifying” and “a splendid one that passed by almost too quickly.”
A native of the Republic of Georgia, Beridze has performed as soloist with the major orchestras in his home country, including the Tbilisi State Symphony, the Georgia National Symphony Orchestra, and the Republic of Georgia State Opera and Ballet Symphony. He made his US concerto debut performing under the direction of Vladimir Feltsman in New York in 2004. In addition to his Alice Tully recital, he has concertized at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Steinway Hall, the Russian Consulate, and Harris Hall in Aspen. Devoted to chamber music, his collaborations include concerts with cellist Yehuda Hanani.
Beridze gave a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in the fall of 2014, where he performed works by Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann. This program was also featured on his released debut solo recording by NY Classics, and was broadcast on radio throughout the United States and Canada.. His media credits include performances that have been broadcast to 57 countries from New York’s RTVI, and NTV America, two of the most popular channels in Russia and post-Soviet countries. An appearance as a special guest on Voice of America counts among his many radio credits.
Attending conservatory as his country was suffering from the devastating effects of separating from the collapsed Soviet Union, Beridze persevered in his study of piano performance, winning the major Georgian competitions, receiving Georgia's President's Grants in 2001 and 2005, and the Vladimir Spivakov Award in 2003. He first came to international attention as the winner of the 2004 Jacob Flier International Piano Competition, run by legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman, who invited Beridze to move to the United States to study with him at the Mannes School of Music.
A passionate teacher, Beridze is on the faculty of the Center of Musical Excellence in New York City and has served as Artist in Residence at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. In 2009, he founded the New York Piano Festival, where he serves as Artistic Director, organizing an international concert and master class series and providing concert opportunities to young students to perform in venues throughout New York City. In the Republic of Georgia, Beridze received undergraduate and advanced degrees at Tbilisi State Conservatory. Upon arriving in the United States, he earned a Professional Studies degree at the Mannes School as a student of Vladimir Feltsman and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers, State University of New Jersey.
Beridze also holds a doctorate in journalism from Tbilisi State University. As a correspondent for Krivis Palitra, a weekly newspaper in the Republic of Georgia, he was the author of more than 500 articles on music and interviewed many of the world’s most renowned musicians, including Rostropovich, Rozhdestvensky, Bashmet, and Vengerov.
Dedicated to raising funds for cancer research, he has produced and performed numerous charity concerts.
