Lisa Batiashvili

Princeton University Concerts

In 2014, in response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea, violin superstar Lisa Batiashvili commissioned composer Igor Loboda to create a “Requiem for Ukraine”—a deeply personal act rooted in the echoes of Russian aggression that had previously shaken her native Georgia. Since then, she has remained a staunch advocate for both nations, using music as a powerful tool of resistance to defend their cultural identities, which are persistently under attempted eradication. Join us for an intimate conversation—moderated by Ara Guzelimian, Artistic and Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival and former Dean and Provost of The Juilliard School—in which Lisa Batiashvili will explore how the ongoing struggles of Georgian and Ukrainian identity have influenced her understanding of art, resilience, and cultural perseverance. The discussion will be complemented by live performance, featuring the violinist alongside her fellow Georgian, pianist Girogi Gigashvili. As Lisa Batiashvili poignantly reminds us, “first of all, we are human beings, and then we are musicians; not the other way around.”

Lisa Batiashvili, Violinist "Sounding Defiance: Georgia & Ukraine"