Renowned opera singer Zurab Sotkilava passed away

The Georgian opera singer Zurab Sotkilava passed away today in Moscow at the age of 80.

In 2015 doctors discovered that he had a tumor. He received treatment in Russia and Germany, and, for a little while, was able to return to his professional activities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHQB9dXAeIw

Zurab Sotkilava was born in Sukhumi in 1937.

In 1965 he graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory. From 1966-1968 he was a student at the La Scala Theatre in Milan, Italy. In 1974 he performed as a soloist in the Moscow Bolshoy Theatre.

In 2016 the president of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, awarded the singer with the Order of Honor. This high honor was given to the tenor for his contribution to the popularization of opera music, his pedagogic activities and his value in representing Georgia on the world stage.

Before starting his opera career, Zurab Sotkilava played football.

“Near the house where we lived in Sukhumi was a large field where we played football all year. Trainers came and observed. Once when I was 12, a trainer came up to me, and two years later I was on the youth team of Abkhazia. When I was 19, I was already playing for Tbilisi’s Dinamo team,” reminisced the singer in one of his last interviews.