P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Prominent Tajik Figures of the Twentieth Century

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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Shahidi graduated from the Dushanbe School of Music in 1967 and

from the Composition Class of Uri Ter-Osipov in 1965. In the same

year, he entered the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. During

his student years in Moscow, he placed himself at the center of musical

activities. Conductors such as Mikhail Terion and Maxim Shostakovich

performed his orchestral and instrumental compositions. In 1972, Sha-

hidi graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and became a member

of the Union of Composers of the Soviet Union.

Shahidi has participated in a number of music festivals, and has pro-

duced a number of innovative and powerful compositions synthesizing

Eastern and Western music.

Shahidi works in a number of different genres, including theatre and

cinema. His compositions often serve as the vehicle for the musical rep-

resentation of intensely powerful plays.

A master of different genres, including operas, ballets, symphonies,

and instrumental compositions, his work represents a unique fusion of

the very best of the European and Asian musical traditions. Although he

is a contemporary artist, Shahidi's worldview transcends national

boundaries.

Shahidi's contributions include, "Dobro vam"--vocal cycle for tenor

and symphonic orchestrabased on poems by Hafiz and Pushkin, 1999;

"Amir Ismoil"--opera, 1999; "Silk Road Dreams Dancing"--septet,

2000; "Pictures Under the Moon" Soprano and chamber orchestra,

based on a poem by R. Finn, 2000; "Algorismus marimba"--sextet,

2001; "Contrasts in 55," 2001; and "Contrasts"--music for violin and

piano, 2001.

Shahidi joined the Union of Composers in 1981. He won the Rudaki

State Prize in 1994. In 1987, he won the International Competition of

Contemporary Musicians (United States), and in 1999, he became a

People's Artist of Tajikistan.