My story…

 

I was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. A beautiful country surrounded by the Caucasus mountains and the Black Sea. My father, Nodar Gabunia, a much-loved student of Khachaturian and Goldenweiser, was a brilliant pianist, composer and pedagogue.

 

Guided by my exceptionally inspiring and dedicated teacher Konstantin Vardeli, I made my first steps as a violinist from an early age. By the time I was 12, I was performing with all major orchestras in Georgia, playing Mendelssohn, Lalo, Mozart and Brahms violin concertos. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, I seized the moment and headed to Europe. First to Germany and later to Amsterdam, the city of my dreams, which became home to me and my family.

 

I have been lucky to share the stage with great musicians such as Nelson Goerner, Vadim Repin, Maurice Bourgue, Nino Gvetadze and my husband, Wouter Vossen. I performed as a soloist with orchestras in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Georgia and Poland, recorded numerous CDs and made many television and radio appearances. I also enjoyed exploring the depth of the symphonic repertoire as a member of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and freelancing with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. I am profoundly grateful to the Elise Mathilde Foundation for entrusting me to play their beautiful Zosimo Bergonzi violin (1760).

 

Over the years, I have developed my own violin teaching method, based on a combination of the Russian school and European traditions. Close contact with the legendary pedagogue Zakhar Bron and many European colleagues has helped me along this road. At present, I have a class full of talented and promising young violinists. I learn every day by teaching them.