Musical and artistic direction of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg since September 2021, Aziz Shokhakimov is considered one of the most talented conductors of his generation.

Born in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 1988, Aziz Shokhakimov joined a music school specializing in the education of gifted children at the age of six. He studied violin, viola and conducting with Vladimir Neymer. At thirteen, he made his debut with the Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra where he was appointed assistant conductor that same year (becoming principal conductor in 2006 at the age of 18!). The following year, he conducted his first opera – Carmen – at the Navoi Theater.

His career took a huge turn in Bamberg in 2010 when he won the Second prize in the prestigious Mahler competition. In August 2016, Aziz Shokhakimov won the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award of the Salzburg Festival. In June 2023, he was appointed “Musical Personality of the Year” by the Syndicat de la Critique.

Next to his symphonic career, Aziz Shokhakimov is often sought-after in opera. At the Opéra national du Rhin in 2021, he conducted a French opera by Walter Braunfels, Die Vögel. Then, in May 2023, The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Rimski-Korsakov staged by Dmitri Tcherniakov.

In February 2023, he was invited to the Paris Opera to conduct Lucia di Lammermoor. He made his debut at the Bavarian State Opera in February 2024 with a new production of The Queen of Spades by Tchaïkovski and is once again at the Opéra National du Rhin in March 2024 in Lohengrin by Wagner.