Irakli Murjikneli tenor

          Irakli Murjikneli studied at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University Drama Faculty (2000-2004). In 2009, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Music, and in 2011, after graduating from the Faculty of Academic Song of the Tbilisi State Conservatory (class of T. Gugushvili), he received a master’s degree. He has also worked with Nodar Andghuladze, Axel Everaert, Verena Keller, Neil Andrew Baker, Alexander Khomeriki, Gocha Bezhuashvili, Natela Nicole and Giacomo Aragal. In 2016, Irakli Murjikneli won the 2nd Prize at the Academy Belcanto International Competition (Giacomo Aragal Award). In 2015-2016 he was a participant of the International Opera Workshop (concerts in Basel, Bern, Zurich and Zigrisville).

         During his studies, he sang several parts at the Conservatory's Opera Studio: Bastien in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. He also sang the part of Lensky at the Latvian National Opera House and the Szczecin Opera House at the Castle, Poland. 

         Irakli Murjikneli received Georgian First Lady Sandra Ruelof’s Scholarship (2006-2010) and Vano Sarajishvili Scholarship (2011-2012). In 2010, at the Lado Ataneli Singing Competition, he received a special diploma and performed at a gala concert with the Tbilisi Opera Orchestra conducted by Gianluca Marciano.

In 2012, he participated in ENOA (European Network of Opera Academies) workshop at the Latvian National Opera and in the same year became a finalist of the Byulbyul International Singing Competition (Baku, Azerbaijan). The following year, at the international competition "Tenor Tournament" in Szczecin he won two of the three main prizes - Orchestral and Theater. In 2013, he became a finalist for the Jette Parker Young Artists Program at the Royal Opera House in London.   

         Since 2012, Irakli Murjikneli has been a soloist at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet. In 2014, he sang Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata, and in the same year played Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème, at the Conservatory Opera Studio. Since 2017, Irakli Murjikneli has been a Guest Soloist at the Theatre and Orchestra Biel Solothurn, Switzerland, where he has already performed the roles of Vodemont in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, Carlo VII in Verdi's Giovanna D'Arco and Ctirad in Janáček's Šarka. Since 2018, Irakli has been a Guest soloist at Opéra de Tours, France. Between 2017 and 2020, he performed the following parts at the Tbilisi Opera: Nemorino in Donizetti's L’Elisir d’Amore, the title role in Verdi’s Don Carlos, Kote in Dolidze’s Keto and Kote and Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca.

            Among Murjikneli’s important performances: Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, conducted by Gianluca Marciano, at the Al Bustan Festival, Lebanon, 2011; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the same festival in 2014, with the same conductor; J. S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, conducted by Shavleg Shilakadze in Tbilisi, 2014; a Gala Concert at Rzeszow Philarmony, Poland, in 2014, conducted by Tomasz Tokarczyk; a Gala Concert under Dmitri Jurowski in Tbilisi, 2015.