Amiranashvili Medea

Medea Amiranashvili (b. September 10, 1930, Tbilisi – d. December 2, 2023, Tbilisi) was a singer (soprano), a teacher, People's Artist of Georgia (1965) and USSR (1976).

In 1954, she graduated from Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire (class of Professor S. Inashvili). The same year, she made her debut on the stage of Z. Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theatre (Marguerite, "Faust" by Charles Gounod). After that, she became the leading soloist of this theatre. She performed the main parts of the soprano, of which Maro and Eteri (Z. Paliashvili’s Daisi (Twilight) and Abesalom and Eteri), Mzia (O. Taktakishvili’s Mindia), Lela (R. Laghidze’s Lela), Pirimtvarisa (A. Kereselidze’s Bashi-Achuk), Tatyana, Agnès Sorel and Iolanta (P. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, The Maid of Orleans and Iolanta), Zemfira (S. Rachmaninoff’s Aleko), Butterfly (International Prize, Tokyo, 1970) and Mimi (G. Puccini's Cio-Cio-san and La bohème), Leonora, Violetta, Aida, Desdemona and Elisabeth (G. Verdi's The Troubadour, La traviata, Aida, Othello and Don Carlos), Donna Anna (W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni), Elsa (R. Wagner’s Lohengrin), Micaëla (G. Bizet’s Carmen) and others.

In 1991–2006, she was the artistic director of the Kutaisi Opera Theatre (during this period, Beethoven's opera Fidelio was staged there, for the first time in Georgia, under the guidance of Amiranashvili; 1994); From 1972, she was a teacher of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, professor (1982), emeritus (2009). She conducted various tours abroad. Amiranashvili was characterized by a wide vocal-artistic range, inner expression and creative discipline. She was the winner of the Glinka International Competition (1962), Z. Paliashvili State Prize (1971), 4^th World Festival of Youth and Students (Moscow 1957, II prize), “Madame Butterfly” international prize, Osaka, 1970.

She was awarded the “Order of Friendship of Peoples” (1986), was an Honorary Citizen of Kutaisi (2000).

A. Tsulukidze