Sandro Shar

I'm a British-Georgian pianist and composer based in London. My musical journey began with classical piano at age four, evolving through jazz and expanding to multiple instruments including double bass, violin, guitar, vocals, and numerous traditional Georgian instruments. I'm most active as a pianist, particularly as a member of acclaimed modern jazz quintet Knats, and have performed and recorded with renowned artists including Geordie Greep and Eddie Chacon through multiple national tours and international appearances. 

Another significant part of my experience as a pianist is in the hospitality sector, where I've worked at prestigious establishments including The Savoy, The Dorchester, Heckfield Place Hotel, and Mayfair hotel.

My specialisation lies in Georgian traditional music, initially driven by a desire to retrace my heritage and weave it into my playing and writing. Over time this developed into a broader exploration of the musical language, tuning systems and contemporary potential of Georgian polyphony, which continues to inform my work across genres, from jazz performance and orchestral arranging to electronic production, often incorporating Georgian instruments and approaches to tuning.

This exploration of traditional and folk music gradually expanded into a wider curiosity about musical cultures more broadly, leading to the creation of Ancestral Tones, a platform across Instagram, TikTok and Substack where I share stories, sounds and reflections on traditional music from around the world, now followed by over 90,000 people.

From this same impulse to connect research, practice and community, I am also co-founder of Georgian Music House in London, a teaching studio and cultural centre dedicated to Georgian traditional music. Through this platform I help develop educational programmes, creative projects and collaborations that bring Georgian musical traditions into dialogue with wider contemporary practice.