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.