The year 2025 marked the 95th anniversary of the birth of the esteemed Turkmen opera singer Medeniyet Shakhberdiyeva. This significant jubilee of the artist, whose renown extended far beyond Turkmenistan, was commemorated both in her native city of Kerki and in Moscow.
Symbolically, the opening of the ninth Moscow International Arts Festival “Sounds of Dutar,” named after Nury Halmamedov, commenced with the “Turkmen Nightingale” concert, a tribute to Shakhberdiyeva’s legacy.
The event, held at the Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Russian Academy of Arts “Zurab Tsereteli Gallery,” drew representatives from the Embassy of Turkmenistan, led by Ambassador Esen Aydogdyev, as well as creative and academic intellectuals, and members of Moscow’s Turkmen diaspora.
The musical program featured a diverse range of ensembles and soloists, including a mixed choir from the studio of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the National Guard Forces of the Russian Federation, under the direction of Valeria Goryunova. Notable performances were also given by the virtuoso pianist Elisei Babanov, soprano Darya Guseynova from “Helikon-Opera,” and young violinist Ksenia Cherkasova, Grand Prix winner in the children’s category of the eighth “Sounds of Dutar” festival. Joining them were previous festival laureates: sopranos Yana Kolomiets, Margarita Gavrilina, Elena Druzhinkina, and Polina Veres. The evening was hosted by the renowned conductor and theater pedagogue Evgeny Volkov.
The concert program showcased selections from the opera diva’s extensive repertoire, including arias from European opera classics and romances by Turkmen composers, highlighting a harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western musical traditions.
Audiences were consistently captivated by Shakhberdiyeva’s vocal mastery, and her voice was likened to the enchanting song of the nightingale, or bilbil. According to Medeniyet Shakhberdiyeva’s recollections, this poetic comparison was first made by the celebrated singer Bela Rudenko, herself a coloratura soprano.
Medeniyet Shakhberdiyeva, the “Turkmen Nightingale,” served as a muse for an entire generation of composers. Her unique vocal talent and vibrant personality exerted a profound influence, particularly on the composer Mamed Guseynov, the founder of the “Sounds of Dutar” festival.
The competitive segment of the “Sounds of Dutar” festival is scheduled for the fall of this year, and is expected to attract solo performers, ensembles, and choirs.
