Georgian-born violinist and conductor Liana Issakadze was born in Tbilisi on August 2, 1946. A native of Georgia, then part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Liana Issakadze took violin lessons at the Tbilisi Conservatory and was selected to take part in the 6th International Music Festival in Moscow in 1957, before winning 2nd prize in the Jeunesses Musicales Soviétiques in 1960. A pupil of David Oistrakh, the violinist won 1st prize at the Long-Thibaud International Competition in Paris in 1965, 1st prize at the Jean Sibelius International Competition in Helsinki in 1970 and 2nd prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. The youngest musician ever to be awarded the title of "People's Artist of the USSR" then embarked on an international career, conducting the Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra from 1980 onwards. She recorded several albums for the state label Melodiya, including concertos from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, violin concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev and Mendelssohn, pieces by Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Sibelius, Sarasate, Franck and Schumann, and works by modern composers such as Schnittke, Schönberg, Taktakishvili, Nasidze, Gabunia, Zinzadse and Mansourian. Principal conductor of the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra from 1981 to 1995, Liana Issakadze founded the Pitsunda Festival in 1983 and the David Oistrakh Academy in Ingolstadt, Germany, in 1992, where she was in residence with her own chamber orchestra from 1990 to 1998. In addition to her activities as a musician, Liana embarked on a career as a teacher, giving numerous master classes and participating as a juror in violin competitions. On July 5, 2024, Liana Issakadze died in Tbilisi at the age of 78.
