Biography

Austrian violinist Gia Jashvili, of Georgian musical lineage, is known for uniting the expressive power of the Russian violin school with the refinement of the Viennese tradition. Born into a family of violinists, he was first taught by his mother, Nana Jashvili, a professor at the Folkwang University of the Arts and former student of David Oistrakh and Leonid Kogan, and by his aunt, Marine Yashvili, a long time professor at the Moscow Conservatory and former student and assistant of Konstantin Mostras, the teacher of Ivan Galamian. He later studied with Zakhar Bron at the Cologne University of Music and with Gerhard Schulz at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and was mentored for over a decade by Ivry Gitlis, whose own teachers included Carl Flesch and George Enescu. This unbroken lineage connects him to the golden age of violin playing, a tradition he now passes on to a new generation.

Jashvili’s performance career has taken him to major stages such as Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Sydney Opera House, the Vienna Musikverein, and the Berlin Philharmonie. A notable highlight was the performance and recording of the complete Beethoven symphonies at Suntory Hall with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, broadcast by NHK. He has worked with conductors including Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Bernard Haitink, and Sir Simon Rattle. In 2006 Lorin Maazel appointed him Concertmaster of Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, where he participated in celebrated productions including complete Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini opera cycles. He later worked with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian State Opera, and the Berlin Philharmonic. As founder of the Munich Chamber Soloists, he performed Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins with Joshua Bell at the ensemble’s debut. As a baroque violinist, he has collaborated regularly with Cecilia Bartoli and the ensemble Barocchisti, including recordings and appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Teaching is a central part of Jashvili’s work. He gives regular masterclasses and coaching for competitions and orchestral auditions across Asia, including in Japan, China, Singapore, and Indonesia. His students have won prizes at international competitions, most recently with his youngest student winning first prize at the Osaka International Music Competition in 2024. Drawing on both the Russian soloist tradition and his extensive experience in leading European orchestras, he helps young violinists build a solid technical foundation, stylistic awareness, and practical skills for both solo careers and positions in major orchestras.