Paata Burchuladze was a famed bass before he became a famed politician. Born on Feb. 12, 1955, in then-Soviet Georgia, he studied music at the Tbilisi Conservatoire and made his student debut in 1976. He would then make his mark at a number of singing competitions and performed a number of roles at the Tbilisi Opera House. From 1978-1981 he {…}