Alexandre Tsomaia, Director of Music

Alexandre (Sandro) Tsomaia is an internationally acclaimed musician who performs across the country and abroad. He serves as our full time accompanist at all parish liturgies, school liturgies, funerals, weddings, as well as at many special services and parish events. In the Fall of 2022, Sandro took over for Kitty Ryan as the St. Barnabas Church, Director of Music. 

Hailed as "Particularly impressive" by the Wall Street Journal, Alexandre Tsomaia, made his debut at the Newport Festival in Rhode Island, where he premiered 24 preludes of the Georgian composer Sulkhan Tsintsadze in North America. At a young age he appeared as soloist with several orchestras in Georgia, as well as in solo recitals. At the age of 14, he was accepted at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.
During his time in the United States, he has appeared as a featured soloist at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, He has appeared on NPR's "From the Top" Alexandre has performed at Columbia University's Miller Theatre with the members of the Toradze piano studio, receiving high acclaim from the New York Times.  Alexandre entered Indiana University in the fall of 2003 as a student of Evelyne Brancart, continuing his
studies with Edward Auer. In March 2006 he won the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale competition. In 2010 Alexandre was "Artist in Residence in Polish Music" while he was a performance diploma student and associate piano instructor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In 2011-2012 Alexandre studied at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy with Elisso Virsaladze. Currently, Alexandre is a Music Director
at the St. Barnabas Church in Chicago as well as a piano instructor at Ravinia Lawndale School. Recent highlights in Alexandre's career include performance at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of the "Myra Hess" concert series, solo recital at the Beverly Arts Center and at the Chopin Theatre of Chicago, solo recital and a masterclass at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, solo recital at the Palm Beach college and Schmidt music center in Denver, solo recital at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire.