O'zbekiston davlat konservatoriyasi

Bachelor’s degree:

• 5150700 – Instrumental performance (piano (organ))

Master’s degree:

• 5A5150701 – Instrumental performance (piano (organ))

Subjects taught at the department

Bachelor’s educational disciplines:

• Piano performance (Organ)
• Piano ensemble
• Sight-reading music
• Stage skills
• Organ

Majors in Master’s degree:

• Piano (Organ)
• Master’s dissertation

Cooperation agreements:

• Lyceum for gifted childrenunder the auspicesof the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan;
• RSSMAL named after V. Uspensky;
• RSMAL named after R. Glier.

The piano faculty was the first of the opened departments at the Tashkent State Conservatory. The best Moscow and Leningrad piano schools traditions influenced its pedagogical and performing principles. The teachers-visitors of these schools facilitated the development of the department.

The first pianist to head the piano department was the famous musician, associate professor S. A. Kozlovsky. Further the outstanding professors B.L. Vol’man (1938), K.N. Mikhailov (1944), T. Kotlyarevskaya (1945), A.V. Birmak (1948), led the department.

Among the first teachers who started working at the Department of Specialized Piano were prominent Tashkent teachers A.G. Goldberg, F.A.Tsaregradskiy, A.A.Gede, A. A. Podgorny. Among the specialists who arrived in 1936, the names of S. A. Kozlovsky, Yu. N. Venkov, A. S. Lisovsky were widely known. Accordingly T.M.Kotlyarevskaya began to work in 1937, and further in 1938 in was N.M. Yablonovsky, and in 1939 – A.M. Litvinov.

During the wartime, the prominent specialists of the Leningrad Conservatory were evacuated to Tashkent, which played a great influence on the initiation of the educational process and the improvement of pedagogical skills at the Tashkent conservatory. Among them were L. N. Nikolaev, P. A. Serebryakov, S. N. Savshinsky, N. Ye. Perelman, M. Ya. Khalfin and others. Subsequently, creative ties continued expanding: the department developed close contacts with leading professors of the Moscow Conservatory. T. Nikolaeva, V. Gornostaeva, M. Voskresensky, A. Goldenveiser, E. Gilels, S. Feinberg, L. Oborin, A. Merovich, V. Sofronitsky, G. Kogan visited with solo concerts, consultations and master classes.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, A.V. Birmak – a talented performer, experienced teacher and erudite methodologist, came to Tashkent from the Leningrad Conservatory. The years of her leadership (1948-1957) turned out to be very rewarding for the department. During her stay, the level of the students’ performing skills significantly increased. During the series of lectures and reports, she contributed to the initiation of methodological research field, and attracted talented performers to work at the conservatory: those were Sh. I. Rokhlina, V. N. Slonim, Z. Sh. Tamarkina, A. M. Gekkelman.

These pianists were of high professional level, who possessed bright creative personalities. Their dynamic concert activity and high pedagogical skills manifested in the development of the department. In a relatively short period of time, they trained a whole galaxy of highly professional specialists, many of whom continued the work at the musical schools named after V.A. Uspensky, and after R. Gliere, as well as at the children’s musical schools around the country.

The tradition of inviting specialists from other countries continued with A.L. Sakovnin, G.N. Dubrovskaya, N.B. Retsker, V.K. Afanasyev, B.V. Evlampiev, A.N. Danilova, V.P. Zakharchenko, Yu.V. Levin and others.

The continuity of traditions was assumed by the next generation:

1. Yu. Yusupova – the student of V.S. Belov and N.B. Retsker (Moscow)
2. B. Kalmykova – the student of V. I. Slonim (Leningrad)
3. Sh. Polatkhanova – the student of A. M. Litvinov (Moscow), A. M. Gekkelman (Leningrad) and E. Ya. Liberman (Moscow)

M.V. Gumarov – the student of G. B. Kalmykova and O. Yu. Yusupova (Tashkent)

1. Kh. Gulyamova – the student of A.M. Litvinov (Moscow) and A.M. Gekkelman (Leningrad)
2. A. Gafurova – the student of A. M. Gekkelman (Leningrad) and O. Yu. Yusupova (Tashkent)
3. Akhmedzhanova – the student of A.M. Gekkelman (Leningrad) and O. Yu.Yusupova (Tashkent)
4. Fayzieva – the student of G.B. Kalmykova and M.V. Gumarov (Takshent)

In addition, the staff of the department was replenished with specialists who were educated in universities in other countries:

E.Z. Mirkassymova – the student of E.K. Virsaladze (Moscow)

1. R. Sharipova – the student of L. N. Oborin, P. V. Messner (Moscow)
2. S. Lebedeva – the student of N. P. Emelyanova (Moscow)
3. M. Dolzhenkova – the student of P. A. Serebryakov (Leningrad)

The department of special piano have gone through certain stages of formation and development. The first years were marked by the stabilization of the educational process, the search for optimal curricula and programs, followed by a wide concert and educational activity, raising the musical culture, attracting new students to piano performance.

In the 60s, a large number of music schools were opened in other cities of Uzbekistan, which led to an increase in the demand for professional personnel. As an immediate solution to the problem, an extramural department was opened at the Tashkent Conservatory in 1957. An impressive number of pianist teachers graduated over the years of its existence. In addition, the compulsory programs were introduced to each course, which required the obligatory performance of compulsory works. Besides, the annual class evenings and musical festivals of Uzbek composers were hosted that have been functioning since 1974 to this day.

All this led to a significant improvement of the piano performance skills of the students and contributed to their participation in various competitions. Thus, at the first competitions held among the republics of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, in 1960, 1964 and 1972 years, the prizes went to the students and young teachers of the Conservatory: R. Kerer, V. Afanasyev, D. Jahangirova, Yu. Kenzer, D. Magazinnik, N Tsintsadze, D. Mirsagatova, and in 199 to S. Gafurova, B. Khaknazarova, E. Mursky, U. Palvanov.

The prestige of the Tashkent State Conservatory elevated considerably after the brilliant victory of student Rudolf Kerer, who won first prize in 1961 at the аll-union pianists’ competition. Immediately after the competition, he was invited as a soloist to the Moscow Philharmonic and as a teacher to the Moscow Conservatory. Henceforth, listeners in many countries of the world became acquainted with the art of a wonderful musician.

The active participation of students in numerous concerts, competitions, festivals, the expansion and complication of the repertoire – all these led to their achievement of a higher level of pianism, increased technical skills, artistry of performance. The appearance of students-pianists from Uzbekistan in the international arena testified to the maturing performing culture in the Republic.

Since 2006, the academic and methodological activities have been strengthened and carried out in various directions at the Department of Special Piano. One of these research works was the study of the issues of music performance by composers of Uzbekistan. The teachers of the department began to study the works by G. Mushel, S. Jalil, D. Saydaminova, E. Salikhov, N. Zakirov, B. Gienko, D. Yanov-Yanovsky, A. Berlin, A. Litvinov, R. Abdullaev, A. Mansurov and others. Another direction has been the study of the issues of educational approaches to interpretation, as a creative work of the performer.

A textbook about the history of the formation of the piano, chamber and ensemble performance in Uzbekistan was published, as well as creative portraits of A.S. Lisovsky, N.M. Yablonovsky, T.M. Kotryarevskaya, A.M. Litvinov, L.B.Schwartz , V. I. Slonim, Sh. I. Rokhlina, Z. Sh. Tamarkina, A. M. Gekkelman, O. Yu. Yusupova, R. Kerer, G.B. Kalmykova.

To date, the graduates of the department have been actively carrying out the performing and teaching activities not only in Uzbekistan but also far beyond its borders. A great deal of pianists have become laureates at the international competitions. Many, having successfully won competitions abroad, went to the higher educational institutions in Europe and the United States, and upon graduation were invited to work there, thereby increasing the success of the piano school of Uzbekistan.