Elisso Bolkvadze, born on January 2, 1967, in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a classical pianist. She gave her first public concert at seven and studied at Tbilisi's special music school for gifted children and the Tbilisi Conservatory with professor Tengiz Amirejibi. Bolkvadze won several international piano competitions, including second prize at the Vianna da Motta International Music Competition (1987) and sixth prize at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (1989). She was awarded the Order of Arts and Literature by France's Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin on October 7, 2015, and became a UNESCO Artist for Peace on January 22, 2015. Bolkvadze has performed in major concert halls worldwide, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and Salle Pleyel in Paris. She recorded albums such as Récital au Festival Michel Sogny (2007) and Prokofiev / Schubert (2015).
