To listen to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) conducted by Zubin Mehta playing Tchaikovsky in a newly constructed 1000-person open-air auditorium at a country estate on a summer’s night is heavenly and it is hard to imagine a classical music experience more intimate and emotional. Even more remarkable, this concert was taking place on the grounds of the Tsinandali Estate in the Republic of Georgia’s Kakheti region, some two and a half hours from Tbilisi, the capital, to launch a new classical music festival that will debut in 2019.

What was it that brought 1000 guests, a full orchestra and Maestro Mehta to Georgia? It was, simply, the power of an idea and people with the vision and resources to make it happen.

First, a little background: Tsinandali was the Georgian village that was home to Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846), a Georgian poet and aristocrat, who was a God-son of Catherine The Great. After inheriting the property from his father Prince Garsevan, Chavchavadze built an Italianate villa there in 1818 as well as extensive European decorative gardens on the estate which the elder Alexander Dumas dubbed “The Garden of Eden.” FOr more please read….https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomteicholz/2017/10/09/tsinandali-zubin-mehta-leads-the-ipo-in-an-enchanted-evening-of-music-in-georgias-kakheti-region/#36899fac3cfd