Elmina Hasan

Mezzo Soprano

The Azerbaijani mezzo-soprano was born in Baku in 2000. She initially completed her vocal studies at the Music Academy in her hometown of Baku (Azerbaijan) and later earned her Master’s degree at the Tbilisi Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatoire under the guidance of Tamar Iveri. She is currently a member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Her recent artistic engagements include the role of Marchesa Melibea in Gioachino Rossini’s opera Il viaggio a Reims, under the baton of Michele Spotti at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the role of Dorabella in W. A. Mozart’s timeless opera Così fan tutte at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Her operatic debut took place in 2019 as Polina in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Elmina Hasan made her debut on the Georgian opera stage in the role of Fenena in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida at the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre (2022/23 season). Elmina Hasan is a prizewinner of several international vocal competitions, including: 1st Black Sea International Competition “Opera’s Golden Voice” (Batumi, Georgia), Operalia (Mumbai, India), Opera Crown (Tbilisi, Georgia). She is also the Grand Prix winner of the international competition for vocalists named after Bulbul, among others.

Andrés Sánchez Joglar

Tenor

The Cuban tenor was born in Havana in 1993. A graduate of the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, he made his debut in 2017 as Mario Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca on the stage of the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv. Since then, he has performed in productions on leading opera stages in Spain, Portugal, Cuba, and Moldova. His repertoire includes Alfredo (La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini), Florestan (Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini), as well as zarzuelas and choral-orchestral works, including Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Sánchez Joglar is a laureate of several international competitions: 2nd Prize at Compostela Lírica (2024), Best Zarzuela Interpreter in Logroño (2024), finalist at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition (2025), among others

Akaki Gugushvili

Baritone

Akaki Gugushvili was born in Tbilisi. He graduated in 2024 from the V. Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire. He made his professional debut in 2022 at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre as Marcello in G. Puccini’s La Bohème. On the same stage, during 2023–2025, he performed the following roles: Garrido in J. Massenet’s La Navarraise and Abimélech in C. Saint-Saëns’s opera Samson et Dalila. With the Tbilisi Opera Orchestra, he has also performed G. Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, G. Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Sharpless in Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly. In 2022, Gugushvili was a finalist in the Byulbyul International Vocalist Competition. The following year, he participated in the “Golden Voice of Opera” Vocal Academy Week, founded by soprano Tamar Iveri, where he attended masterclasses with Roberto Scandiuzzi, Vesselina Kasarova, Mauricio Trejo, and Bojidar Nikolov. His international debut took place in Italy in 2024, where he sang the role of Don Pasquale in G. Donizetti’s opera Don Pasquale, directed by Maestro Roberto Scandiuzzi.

Anastasia Minashvili

Mezzo Soprano

The Georgian mezzo-soprano is currently studying at the Tbilisi Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatoire under the guidance of Maestro Tamar Iveri and Emeritus Gocha Bejuashvili. From a young age, she was immersed in classical music — singing jazz, and playing both the piano and the harp. She graduated from the Tbilisi Music Seminary, where her love for singing and stage performance was truly formed. Her most recent stage experiences include a chamber music concert with world-renowned pianist Martin Katz, the role of Flora in Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata on the stage of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the role of Cherubino in W. A. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with the Opera Studio of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. Anastasia is a 2025 graduate of the prestigious Music Academy of the West young artist program in Santa Barbara, California, USA.

Eteri Khalvashi

Mezzo Soprano

The Georgian mezzo-soprano was born in 1979 in Batumi. From 2001 to 2005, she studied at the Revaz Lagidze Music College in Batumi. Between 2005 and 2009, she continued her vocal studies at the Batumi State Conservatoire. In 2011, she earned her Master’s degree from the Tbilisi Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatoire. Since 2013, Eteri has been a soloist with the opera ensemble of the Batumi State Music Centre. She actively participates in intercity and international concerts, as well as in opera productions and festivals. She has performed numerous operatic roles across various European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and others.

David Mukeria

Conductor

Conductor David Mukeria was born in Tbilisi. In 1979, he graduated from the French horn class at the Tbilisi Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatoire. In 1985, he completed the conducting faculty at the same conservatoire under the guidance of Odysseas Dimitriadis. Since 1988, he has served as the principal conductor and artistic director of the Batumi State Symphony Orchestra. From 1993, he became the principal conductor of the Batumi Opera and Ballet Theatre, where, under his direction, several productions were staged: Zakaria Paliashvili’s Abesalom and Eteri, Revaz Lagidze’s Lela, and Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Aida, and Otello – in all of which he was the staging conductor. David Mukeria is a laureate of the Shota Rustaveli and Memed Abashidze State Prizes.