Medeia Petrovna Amiranashvili

Born Sept. 10, 1930, in Shorapani, Zestafoni Raion, Georgian SSR. Soviet Georgian singer (lyric soprano). People’s Artist of the USSR (1976). Daughter of P. V. Amiranashvili and the singer N. A. Tsomaia.

In 1953, M. P. Amiranashvili graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory, where she had been a student of A. I. Inashvili’s and O. A. Bakhutashvili-Shul’ginas. In 1954 she became a soloist with the Georgian Theater of Opera and Ballet. Her roles include Tatiana in Eugene Onegin and the title role in Iolanta, both by Tchaikovsky. Among her roles in operas by Verdi are Leonora in Il Trovatore, Violetta in La Traviata, and the title role in Aïda. She has appeared as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust, Cho-Cho-San in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, and Eteri in Paliashvili’s Abesalom and Eteri. Other parts she has played include the title role in Gabichvadze’s Nana and Mziia in Taktakishvili’s Mindiia. She has performed abroad.

Amiranashvili was a deputy to the seventh convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR. She won second prize in the M. I. Glinka All-Union Vocalists’ Competition in Moscow in 1960 and third prize in the International Competition for the Best Performance of the Role of Madame Butterfly in Osaka, Japan in 1970. In 1971 she received the Z. P. Paliashvili State Prize of the Georgian SSR. Amiranashvili has also been awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.