Dr. TAMARA SANIKIDZE, Piano

“Technically nimble and supportive pianist” (New York Times) Dr. Sanikidze gave her first performance with the Georgian Symphony Orchestra at age eight and has since appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout the Republic of Georgia, Russia, Europe, Asia and the Americas.

In 2000 Ms. Sanikidze made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall and at the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium and has since performed at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Spivey Hall (among others). She has performed with such artists as Elizabeth Futral, Nicole Cabell, Amanda Majeski, Emily Albrink, Isabel Leonard, Magdalena Wör, Leah Crocetto, Nadine Sierra, Laura Brioli, Quinn Kelsey, Evan Hughes, and Sidney Outlaw. She has also performed with Maestro Plácido Domingo in Beijing and is a regular with the Marilyn Horne Foundation’s “The Song Continues…” and “On the Wings of Song” series. Since 2009 Tamara serves as an official pianist for the Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition (2009 in Budapest, 2010 in Milano and 2011 in Moscow). She has also performed at the White House for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

From 2007 till 2009, Dr. Sanikidze was a Young Artist Coach at Domingo-Kafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera. In Washington National Opera she served as Assistant Conductor and Coach for Don Giovanni (Domingo), Rigoletto (Reggioli), Hansel and Gretel (Gathman), La Traviata (Domingo and Ettinger), Carmen (Rudel), Turandot (Wilson), and Falstaff (Lang-Lessing). Recently Ms. Sanikidze worked in Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Cleveland, Virginia Opera and Los Angeles Opera.

Dr. Sanikidze received the Fellowship Award in Vocal Piano at the Music Academy of the West, and has participated in programs at Wolf Trap Opera Company, the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera, and Aspen Music Festival. She has received top scholarships, including a personal scholarship from former president of the Republic of Georgia Edward Schevardnadze, and is a recent winner of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award. She has made several recordings for the Excelsior label and her performances have been broadcast on NPR and Georgian and Russian national radio and television.

In January 2010, Dr. Sanikidze joined San Francisco Opera as an Adler Fellow, where among other responsibilities she worked on productions of La fanciulla del West (Luisotti), Aida (Luisotti), and The Makropulos case (Bêlohlávek) and this season she will work on Die Walküre (Runnicles), Carmen (Luisotti) and Xerxes (Summers).
Tamara Sanikidze holds Doctorate Degree from University of Maryland, College Park.

September 2011

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Dr. Tamara Sanikidze