Sandro Nebieridze

24
Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgia
Studied in: Munich, Germany and Imola, Italy
Resides in: Munich, Germany

For the Georgian pianist Sandro Nebieridze (sandro neh-Beer’reed-zeh), live performance is the “healthiest adrenaline addiction” ever.

“On stage,” he says, “nothing is certain, except enjoying the thrill and inviting the audience for the journey—and that is exactly what makes it so beautiful.”

Sandro was born in Tbilisi, “the most beautiful city that I’ve ever been to” with its vivid colours, exotic aromas, warm sun, loving people, incredibly delicious cuisine, and a diverse cultural mix. He grew up listening to Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, Ludwig van Beethoven, Jelly Roll Morton, Oscar Peterson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others.

At the age of two, whenever an opera broadcast began, he’d grab a random book, stand in front of the TV and “conduct”. He knew almost every major opera of GiuseppeVerdi by heart at the age of three, showed an interest in piano at four, started lessons at five, and was composing at nine.

For him, the piano is like a portable orchestra.While he’s dreamed of becoming a conductor, he believes mastery of the keyboard is similar to leading an orchestra.

“It is a mastery of oneself, mastery of one’s ability to condense concepts, ideas, and an unimaginable number of colours and emotions into a story that can be told with 88 keys. Being a musician is a job and a lifestyle at the same time.”

Now living in Munich, Sandro enjoys a whole world outside music and has published a book of poetry. He’s also written two piano concertos and looks forward to premiering Iggy, a contemporary Georgian ballet based on Djemal Karchkadze’s novel of the same name.