PIANO – Catherine Gordeladze (Kalaidos University of Music Zürich)

 Teacher: 

Born in Georgia and based in Germany, the pianist Catherine Gordeladze has gained renown by virtue of her “sparkling tone”, “an original, profound musicality” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), her “charm, brilliant technique and great variety of tone colours” (Radio Bremen) and a “performance underpinned by instinctive sureness and elegance” (Zeitung fürs Dresdner Land), thus establishing herself as one of the most remarkable musicians of the younger generation.

Five highly-praised solo CD recordings with ARS MUSICI, NAXOS and ANTES EDITION bear witness to this pianist’s high standard of artistry and her international renown.

 Her latest album, „Caprice Brillant“  released by ANTES EDITION came out in 2020 and was immediately selected as CD-TIPP in hr2 Kultur and Radio Bremen2, chosen as Recording of the Months by Pianodao (UK), Best rating (10/10/10) by klassik-heute; 5 Sterns by kulturfreak, 5 Sterns by Piano News, recommended on Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Love London, Love Culture (UK), Lady Magazine (UK) and Interlude Magazine (UK): “Her brilliant control of tone, texture and structural overview consistent throughout these many and varied compositions“ (Pianodao, UK). Her album, “Dance Fantasies“ (ANTES EDITION) was selected by BBC Radio as CD of the Week in Classics Unwrapped. “Klassik Heute” praised the way she performed “with subtle charm and pianistic grandeur”.

An outstanding soloist and much-sought-after chamber music partner, Catherine Gordeladze currently makes guest appearances at major concert venues and with renowned orchestras including the Georgian State Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Landestheater Coburg, the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra, the South-West German Chamber Orchestra of Pforzheim, the Europa Philharmonie and the Dortmund Philharmonic. She has performed in the lunchtime concerts broadcast by Hesse Radio in Frankfurt, in the Winners and Masters concert series at the Philharmonie im Gasteig in Munich, in the Mozart Society concerts at the Kurhaus of Wiesbaden, at The Next Generation III festival at the Harenberg City-Center building in Dortmund, at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and at chamber music recitals in collaboration with such artists as violinist David Garrett and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott.

She has also made numerous radio and television recordings in Georgia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, the UK, Switzerland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong and the USA.

Catherine Gordeladze has won awards in various competitions, including the International Chopin Piano Competition in Darmstadt. She has won the medal of the French Legion of Honour.

Ms. Gordeladze is an exclusive Steinway & Sons Artist.

During the award of the 2004/05 Bruno Heck prize by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, this “outstanding pianist” received a special prize in recognition of her “extraordinary achievement”.

In 2017 she was singled out by the city of Frankfurt/Main as an “outstanding personality with a migrant background”. In 2020 she was honoured with a project grant from the Hessische Kulturstiftung (Hesse cultural foundation).

The stages in her training extend from attending the specialist school for gifted children in Tbilisi, followed by a master course at Tbilisi conservatoire with one of Georgia’s most famous teachers, Nodar Gabunia, a pupil of Alexander Goldenweiser and Aram Khachaturian, to the final performance examination at the Musikhochschulen of Frankfurt and Weimar by Bernhard Wetz, Rolf-Dieter Arens and Rainer Hoffmann.

Her artistic development underwent decisive influences in Switzerland when she met and subsequently became a long-term pupil of legendary pianist Alexis Weissenberg, himself a one-time pupil of Arthur Schnabel and Wanda Landowska.

Catherine Gordeladze brings together the musical traditions of Georgia and Germany to create an unmistakable personal style. 

Alongside her solo career as a concert pianist, she teaches at the Kalaidos University of Music in Zurich and at the College of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main. Ever since 2007 she has also served on the jury at various music.

More information: www.catherinegordeladze.de Photo: © Mischa Blank  

Dates: 

Arrival: Thursday, July 28, 2022, between 12 and 4 pm
Closing concert: Sunday, July 31st, 2022, 6 pm
Departure: Monday, August 1st, 2022, until 12 pm

Contents:

preparation for exams, concerts and competitions

The course will begin on Thursday with an orientation: Every Pianist will perform one piano piece, everybody gets to know each other; then the schedule will be created, including individual lessons.

Repertoire:

Piano works from all periods: from Baroque through Classic and Romantic to Modern Music; 

Philosophy:

“In my teaching I like to emphasize the development of individual and personal interpretations with the help of mental and emotional input and flexibility in performance technique. Particularly special is the bel-canto piano style, which is extremely important above all for the works of the Romantic era, in which a meticulous technical and structural development is crucial.  But my priority as a teacher is to cultivate an atmosphere of humorous informality in my relationship with each individual student, with concentrated focus and sympathetic warmth, in order to build up and maintain mutual trust, so that each student’s individual artistic personality can develop and truly blossom.”

Accommodation:

Students are hosted on a shared room basis in a beautiful villa on the bank of the Rhine river.

Meals:

A kitchen is available for cooking; groceries can be bought in a nearby supermarket. Group shopping is advised. A different team can do the cooking daily, which can be organize in situ.

Rooms:

Committed to the spirit of romanticism, all masterclasses offered by the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy unite everything under one roof: living, learning, eating and sleeping. That is why participants will be hosted on a shared room basis.

For further impression, please visit our venue site.

Audition information and registration:

In order to be accepted, you must meet one of the following criteria:

(a) be recommended by Ms. Gordeladze, or
(b) submit an unedited video audition (YouTube link) for review.

In addition, you must complete and submit our application form and pay a €40,- application fee.

Registration Deadline: July 28, 2022

Tuition:

Course fee (incl. accommodation): €450,-