The Arts@Grier_3

Who is Dudana Mazmanishvili?

By Journalism Class

The first week of February may have clothed the school in more snow and icicles, yet the halls of Grier were warmed by a force to be reckoned with: the dynamic pianist Dudana Mazmanishvili, a young woman of musical genius and personal charm.

Dudana, 23, is known as Dudi to many of us at Grier. She was a student here for winter and spring terms of her sophomore year, traveling on a U.S. government grant from her native Georgia (the former constituent republic of the former Soviet Union). We knew of her talents then, but perhaps did not reckon that she would go on to be named one of the top twenty young pianists in the world within seven years.

Earlier in the week, Dudi had played with The Altoona Symphony at The Mishler Theater. The large and enthusiastic audience adored her. While more modest in numbers, the Grier audience of two hundred or so gave a loud standing ovation at the conclusion of her early-afternoon piano recital in our auditorium. The four pieces she played for us were a Rachmaninoff etude in E Flat minor, Chopin's "Nocturne in B Major" and his "Sonata in B Flat Minor," and Prokofieff's "Toccata."

After she played in the auditorium, Dudi went to the chorale room in the Arts Building, where she met with Grier piano students and coached Gintare, Sung-Eun and Jessica on pieces they are practicing. "You are an amazing teacher," Gintare told Dudi after the session.

Journalism Class videotaped the clinic in the chorale room, and will soon be providing the Music department with a dvd of the session for its library.

We were lucky to have Dudi back the following Monday for an interview, to find out more about her life and ambitions. We found out that she was born and grew up in The Republic of Georgia. At two years of age she did not like listening to her mother's piano students. Her mother initially thought she had no talent, but Dudi went to the piano at age three, anyway, and started tickling the ivories on her own. Her dad, an architect, who thinks of architecture as "frozen music," encouraged the process, and soon her mom was giving her lessons.

Dudi currently lives in Munich, Germany, where she will be finishing her masters degree in music this July. She chose Munich for university studies, to study with world-renowned pianist, Eliso Virsaladze. About Eliso, Dudi says: "You think when she's teaching that she is talking about technique, to accomplish a difficult place, and then after, when you have praciticed, you understand that this is just the way to express the music better." Eliso has passed on to Dudi her wisdom as a performing artist.

Wanting to be a concert pianist, and to play a lot of concerts, is Dudi's plan, but later she would like to teach. It is something you have, and if you carry it with you and go away then it is not fair, you have to give it to others..."

The largest orchestra she's played with so far is the Northwest German Orchestra, with whom she played the Rachmaninoff 3rd Concerto. She is "very happy" when she plays in front of several thousand people. She loves the exchange of emotion.

When we asked her what her life was like the day of a performance, Dudi told us that, while some musicians and actors want to be around a lot of people before performing, she likes to be mostly alone, to focus on the music. "I give 'yes' and 'no' answers," she told us. "After a big concert I like to be with a lot of people and go out until three or four in the morning."

Meeting with Dudi and speaking with her, one is struck by her warmth and humility. On stage, though, she is larger than life, a genius, performing with passion, ferocity and a technical knowledge and instinct to achieve the composer's vision.

The short answer to the question "Who is Dudana Mazmanishvili?" would seem to be "Someone who will give countless audiences great pleasure in classical music."

We wish Dudi all the best as she heads to New York City to perform more of her magic.