In 1958, Kakhidze graduated from the Choir Conducting department of the
Tbilisi State Conservatory. In 1963 he completed the post-graduate courses for Opera and Symphony Orchestra Conducting under Professor
Odysseas Dimitriadis at the same institution. Later he had training in Moscow with the
Ukrainian/
French conductor
Igor Markevitch. From 1982 until 2002 Djansug Kakhidze was the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the
Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre. Opera performances released under his direction included
Salome,
Don Giovanni,
Boris Goduno,
Il trovatore,
Otello,
Rigoletto,
Cavalleria rusticana,
Gianni Schicchi, ''
L'elisir d'amore, The Queen of Spades, The Fiery Angel, The Love for Three Oranges, Duenj
, Abesalom and Eteri, and Music for the living''. In 1989, Kakhidze founded a new hall for
symphony music in
Tbilisi, which included the Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture. He established the first professional
boys' choir in Tbilisi at this center in 2000, further developing the classical
performing arts in Georgia. In 1993, Kakhidze founded the new Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra, and led it until his death in 2002. Noted for his innovative program and devotion to contemporary works from his homeland, Kakhidze gained recognition during his life as a close friend and strong advocate of composer
Giya Kancheli, recording his entire cycle of seven symphonies, along with many other works. Highlights of Kakhidze's career included numerous appearances conducting throughout Europe and Australia. His performance of
Berlioz's Damnation of Faust with the
Orchestre de Paris in 1990 drew high praise from critics, and helped him to secure further international success in places such as the United States, where appeared as a guest conductor with both the
Boston Symphony Orchestra and the
National Symphony Orchestra. == Filmography ==