Opera Star Nino Surguladze Speaks About Italy, Georgia and Her Career Plans

Nino Surguladze is one of the brightest stars of the modern opera scene. She has been resident in Italy for many years and, as she says, Italy has become an opportunity for her to travel the world. Recognized as the best Mezzo-Soprano singer by the Opera Oscar (GB Oscar Opera and Ballet Perfection), Surguladze is one of the prominent representatives of cultural diplomacy between the countries of Georgia and Italy. In this interview with Diplomat Magazine, Nino Surguladze spoke about her Italian life and career plans:

The average opera listener has been conversant with you for many years, and various leading opera scenes are always looking forward to your concerts. However, Italy is still the most prominent place in your life. Tell us, how did you cross path with this country?

Italy is the cradle of opera and when I came to Italy, I immediately fell in love with it upon first exposure because of its similarities to Georgia in terms of traditions, hospitable people, wonderful language, culture, history, everything in principle and, it has been in my heart ever since. Italy has given me a lot of things in terms of my career and I will always be grateful to this country, though my homeland is only one and this is Georgia, Italy remains my second home. I’m glad I can talk a lot about Georgia in Italy and, when I come to Georgia, I can talk a lot about Italy. My love for this country is eternal and will never fade away.

What role did Italy play in your career success, and what do you think your life would be like without this country?

If not for this country, cultural treasures in general would be very empty, because Italy has given the world some of the greatest artists, scientists, writers, architectural structures, as well as Italian cuisine which is very unique and much more. Without Italy, world culture and history would be much poorer.

Personally, this country gave me a lot. First of all, it gave me a chance and it paved the way for me to get to the world stage, it also gave me great knowledge of what I want to use in my own country. After my country, Italy has given me so many things that I will always cherish. Consequently, if I can do something for Georgia, I will also try to do for Italy, and in general, I will try to keep these two countries in a positive relationship with each other.

Due to your active concert life, you rarely visit Georgia, but you are a kind of image of Georgia in many countries around the world, which has made you a kind of ambassador of Georgia. How do you view this responsibility?

I totally agree with the fact that artists who come to different countries around the world are ambassadors of their own country so, is a person leaving their family, he or she represents their family. Every success for a Georgian artist or a representative in any field of art, even an athlete, any victory, of course, is on behalf of Georgia, and we must all take this with great responsibility, as each step we take will affect our country. Especially today, when this is such a difficult time for Georgia. I think that every Georgian should make the most of his or her abilities, whether on stage or outside, to speak as much as possible about Georgia, regardless of where he is and stand by his country.

Despite the rare visits to Georgia, you still get involved in important projects in Georgia. It is worth noting that within the framework of your charity foundation, The Desire Tree, you have already organized many necessary events in Georgia. What is the significance of implementing Georgia related activities for you?

Even the smallest one events that links and returns me to Georgia makes me very happy. Any activity that I may have in Georgia is, of course, very valuable and important to me. I always feel special and happy when I meet a Georgian audience and I am not just saying this to sound pleasant. The Georgian listener is very distinguished, tasteful, tough and at the same time very favorable and extraordinarily appreciative, which is why I always enjoy meeting Georgian viewers.

As for the foundation, if something is valuable to me, there is a foundation that links very closely with my country and at the same time connects all the people who come to my country with Georgia through this fund and aid for the children. Many Georgian citizens are also involved in the activities of this fund and we are contributing positively through this support medium. I think that if as many people as possible get involved, it will be good for everyone. And finally, what ties me to Georgia the most is my family and my friends.

When you are unable to be in Georgia physically, you are often joining a variety of important social media campaigns. Not long after the Russian government banned flights to Georgia, you also shared a video about a campaign to promote Georgia’s tourism and you invited your Italian listeners to Georgia. What is the role of cultural diplomacy in times like these?

Of course, it’s an important role to play, and it’s one of the important tribunes you could use, and I didn’t hesitate to do so, and many other Georgian musicians later did the same. I think it may be small, but it was very important for me to do it, because I felt there was a great danger that Georgia would face and several problems would emanate because tourism is vital to our country. I would like to reiterate that if anyone has the opportunity to do even the slightest, right now, Georgia needs it very much. This is the country that is actually supporting tourism, and it has been such a success in terms of tourism, and it must not stop there. On the contrary, it must be developed and strengthened, so we must work in this direction.

Let’s go back to your second home, Italy. What do you think is the connection between Georgia and Italy, and how close is Georgia to the European space in which Italy is located?

Georgia is Europe, we are at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. I think Georgia is the oldest and most fascinating part of Europe that has always belonged to Europe, we just have our traditions that are precious to me, that we have to preserve. This includes our language, our faith and our identity, we must keep it, but at the same time being a part of Europe, I consider it a very important task. Italy, as I have mentioned, reminds me of Georgia with its landscape and nature, with its people, cuisine, temperament, and love for music. We have a lot in common and I want our friendship to grow even deeper. By the way, the Italians, they cheer us, and they are closely following the developments, always interested in and always favor our country. As I have previously mentioned in my interview, I repeat as it is clear for all to see - Georgia is fighting hard to be independent, free, to accomplish a State where happy people live and we are only driven by it. So, everyone is sympathetic to us, especially the Italians.

After this year of active work, what are your future plans and should we expect to see your concert in Georgia in the near future?

I am planning a very important event in the framework of my charity foundation, The Desire Tree, where I was joined by Beso Shamugia, Ph.D., who is the founder of the Road to Honor, and he came up with the idea to come together and implement the project together. I liked this idea very much. I think it will be very interesting working in tandem with him. This merger and everything will be fully set in Georgia on December 7th. As for my career, my future plans are great - Korea, China, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Japan, Naples, are many other places where I will have concerts and ignite my creative passion.