Givi Gachechiladze

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Givi Gachechiladze (born November 5, 1938) is a Georgian composer and conductor. He leads the Tbilisi Municipal Orchestra, also known as the Tbilisi Big Band.

Gachechiladze first gained attention with the instrumental piece "Vic," which appeared on Victor Feldman's Soviet Jazz Themes in 1962. This album was the first Soviet jazz record released in the United States and abroad in 1963. He later led the Ukrainian Jazz Orchestra and the Pop/Symphony Orchestra of Ukrainian National Television in Kiev.

After returning to Georgia, he led the Tbilisi Philharmonic and worked as composer, conductor, and musical director for Rero (Tbilisi Television Orchestra), Theatron, and the Mardzhanishvili Theater. In 1997 he founded the Tbilisi Municipal Orchestra, which became well known in the region. In 2006, under his direction, the orchestra won the Monte-Carlo International Jazz Award. He has written hundreds of jazz and classical compositions and created soundtracks for films and plays.