1. Paata Burchuladze is a Georgian operatic bass and civil activist.
18 Facts About Paata Burchuladze
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From May to December 2016, Burchuladze briefly entered politics of Georgia, founding the political party State for the People to challenge the incumbent Georgian Dream coalition government in the scheduled October 2016 parliamentary election, in which the party failed to win any seat in the legislature.
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Since July 2017, Paata Burchuladze has been leading the opera division of St Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theatre, one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses.
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Paata Burchuladze made a student debut in Tbilisi in 1976 and then took part in several singing competitions, including at the Bolshoi in Moscow, where he sang in Boris Godunov.
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Early in his career, Paata Burchuladze sang Leporello, Prince Gremin, and King Rene for the Tbilisi Opera House.
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Paata Burchuladze was further trained in Milan from 1978 to 1981 and sang Banquo, Pagano, Walter and Zaccaria at La Scala.
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Paata Burchuladze debuted at the Covent Garden in 1984 as Ramfis and then appeared as Don Basilio, Khan Konchak, Boris Godunov, and the Inquisitor.
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Paata Burchuladze's United States debut was at Philadelphia, in 1987, as Boris.
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Paata Burchuladze sang Basilio, Boris, and the Commendatore at the Metropolitan.
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Paata Burchuladze announced he was leaving music to focus on his new political role in May 2016.
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Paata Burchuladze set up the charity foundation Iavnana in January 2004 and through it organized dozens of concerts and events to support vulnerable children and families in Georgia.
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Paata Burchuladze was the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in 2006 and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Georgia in 2010.
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In November 2015, Paata Burchuladze established the Georgian Development Foundation, a civic movement, which was expected to turn into a political party ahead of the scheduled October 2016 parliamentary election.
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Paata Burchuladze emphasized that his new organization was not a political party and described it as a pro-democracy and pro-Western advocacy group.
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Paata Burchuladze set up offices in Washington and Los Angeles with the declared aim to raise awareness of Georgia in the United States, whose help, according to Burchuladze, was essential in reducing threats coming from Russia.
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On 12 May 2016, Paata Burchuladze announced the foundation of a new political organization, State for the People, and his intention to take part in the upcoming parliamentary election.
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Two months after the party's failure in the election, in December 2016, Paata Burchuladze announced his withdrawal from politics and return to opera.
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In July 2017, Paata Burchuladze became the director of the opera division of the St Petersburg-based Mikhailovsky Theatre, one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses.