Alum

Giorgi Mikadze

Associate Professor

Affiliated Departments

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Giorgi Mikadze is a renowned Georgian pianist, composer, and Yamaha artist. A multigenre musician and producer, he gained fame by performing with Wang Leehom ’99, the “King of Chinese Pop,” on his Descendants of the Dragon world tour. Mikadze has been recognized for creating a number of acclaimed projects, such as VOISA, Georgian Overtones, and Georgian Microjamz.

Noted for his technical skills as a pianist and composer, Mikadze has regularly performed and toured with a number of renowned orchestras, such as the internationally acclaimed Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra. He has also composed for plays at the Rustaveli National Theatre, served as a musical director for Berklee’s tribute to Quincy Jones, and directed Jonathan Antoine's North American concert tour. He has performed with renowned artists including Leehom, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Hargrove ’89, Dave Liebman, Lee Ritenour, Meshell Ndegeocello, Antonio Sánchez ’97, Chris Potter, and many more.

Over the course of his career, Mikadzei has won prestigious classical piano competitions, jazz fellowship awards, a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music, and a Presidential Scholarship to Manhattan School of Music. In 2021, Mikadzei joined Berklee's faculty as an associate professor.

Courses Taught (2)

Jazz Piano Trio 1

ENPN-112

Private Instruction - Piano: All Levels

PIPN-XXX

Career Highlights

Wang Leehom's Descendants of the Dragon 2060 world tour: keyboardist and arranger; played 42 cities in China and South Asia including stadium and arena shows
VOISA: composer, musical director, and producer; tours of the U.S., China, and Georgia
Giorgi Mikadze Jazz Trio: tours of the U.S., Europe, and Asia
Georgian Overtones: composer and musical director; tours of the U.S. and Europe
Lee Ritenour: U.S. tour
Toured Israel as a classical pianist with the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
Recording sessions with Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Philipp Gerschlauer, David Fiuczynski, Raphael Pannier, Miguel Zenón ’98, Sean Wright, Panagiotis Andreou, and François Moutin

Awards

U.S. Department of State Grant
18th Street Arts Center Make Jazz Fellow
Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory Competition, grand prize
Scholarship from Giya Kancheli
President of Georgia's Grant
International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir
Horowitz, special prize and diploma (Kiev, Ukraine)
Tbilisi International Piano Competition, first prize
Nodar Gabunia National Piano Competition, second prize (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Education

School Name

V Saradjishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire

Country

Georgia

Degree

Bachelor of Music (B.M.)

Field of Study

Piano Performance

Date Degree Received

2010

In Their Own Words

"I seek to awaken the spirit of exploration in students who cross the threshold of my classroom by expanding their musical horizons and inviting them on a journey to internalize musical evolution from the past to the present. Berklee is just the place for such a musical exploration, where students can dip into various assortments of musical genres."

"Cross-cultural pollination between European and African musical genres, in eight square blocks of the American city—the formula that gave rise to the first genuinely unique American musical art form, jazz. This formula is not unusual or groundbreaking and rests on a simple principle that breaking down barriers is a necessary precondition for the evolution of musical art form."

"Nearly every genre of music is a melting pot in its own right—a mosaic of daring artistry, which, at one point in time, through sheer luck of happenstance or the bravery of few, stumbled over the edge into a new blend of musical spice."

"Coming from a classical background and having extensive knowledge in jazz and contemporary music, I strive to learn about 'the old' and use that knowledge to create music that has not been heard before. I am fortunate to have in-depth training in classical piano performance, classical composition (from the renaissance to twelve-tone and minimalism), standard jazz, and contemporary music-making. In my lessons, I seek to share all of my training with my students and bring them along by helping them acquire the necessary musical foundation to become inquisitive musical minds."