Medea Amiranashvili

Medea Petres asuli Amiranashvili (10 October 19302 December 2023) was a Georgian operatic soprano and academic teacher. She appeared in leading roles of both Georgian and international operas, such as Revaz Lagidze's Lela, Verdi's Leonora in Il trovatore and Puccini's Madama Butterfly, credited with portraying them with "fierce inner expression". She was honoured as a People's Artist of the USSR in 1976 and the Order of Queen Tamara in 2021.

Life and career Medea Amiranashvili was born on 10 October 1930, in the village of Shorapani (now in Imereti, Georgia) (according to other sources, in Tbilisi) in a family of opera singers, USSR People's Artist and singer (1907–1976) and singer and teacher (1904–1973). Her roles included leading characters of a wide vocal range, such as lead roles in Zacharia Paliashvili's Abesalom da Eteri and Daisi (Twilight), the title role in Revaz Lagidze's Lela, Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Zemfira in Rachmaninoff's Aleko, Verdi's Leonora in Il trovatore, the title role of La traviata, and Desdemona in Otello, Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin, Puccini's Mimi in La bohème and the title role of Madama Butterfly.

Teaching and other functions From 1967 to 1970, Amiranashvili was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, 7th Convocation. She was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honour, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and the Medal "For Distinguished Labour".

Personal life Amiranashvili was married to the sculptor Otar Parulava; they had a daughter, Marine Parulava, who also became a singer. Georgia's Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, sent a message of condolence, calling her "an unrivaled performer of Georgian and European opera and a dedicated champion of Georgian music". A civil funeral was held at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater, where Thea Tsulukiani, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, acknowledged the merits of the "legendary soprano".