Khatia Buniatishvili - Biography

Khatia Buniatishvili received support from BBT between 2010 and 2012, when this page was last updated. For an up to date biography go to www.khatiabuniatishvili.com

Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili’s extraordinary talent was recognized when she was very young. Aged six, she gave her debut performance with an orchestra, and was subsequently invited to give performances in Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Russia, China, Israel and the USA. Khatia Buniatishvili prefers not to be regarded as a child prodigy: virtuosity for its own sake does not appeal to her. Above all, she embraces pianists from earlier generations such as Rachmaninoff, Richter and Gould. During her studies at Tbilisi’s State Conservatoire, she won a special prize at the Horowitz International Competition for Young Pianists in Kiev in 2003 as well as first prize at the Foundation to Assist Young Georgian Musicians competition set up by Elisabeth Leonskaya. She became acquainted with Oleg Maisenberg, who persuaded her to transfer to Vienna’s University of Music and Performing Arts. Winner of the Bronze Medal at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition in 2008, she was also distinguished as the Best Performer of a Chopin piece and as Audience Favourite. Khatia Buniatishvili has given critically acclaimed solo recitals and chamber music concerts at such renowned venues as London’s Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Musikverein in Vienna. In 2008 she made her US concert debut at Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall), performing Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto. A BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist 2009-2011, Khatia Buniatishvili regularly collaborates with BBC orchestras. In 2010 she received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and was nominated by Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus as a Rising Star for the 2011/2012 season. Upcoming engagements will see Khatia Buniatishvili perform with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and the Munich Philharmonic with Paavo Järvi. Recitals will also take her to Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris and London, with further appearances at Verbier and Lucerne Festivals and the Schwetzinger Musiktage. Khatia Buniatishvili is fluent in five languages and lives in Paris.

It was such a sublime moment of feeling trust from such respected people. Everybody knows the definition of the word “Professionalism” but everyone understands and develops it in a different way. And they let us be free and creative. Each time when I play in London, I know, in the hall there are three lovely people – Susan, Debra and David – who support and trust me and that’s very strong. Thank you so much…

Photographs by Esther Haase