Yuri Temirkanov

Biography

Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov (Russian: Ю́рий Хату́евич Темирка́нов; Kabardian: Темыркъан Хьэту и къуэ Юрий; 10 December 1938 – 2 November 2023) was a Soviet and Russian conductor, named a People's Artist of the USSR.

Born in 1938 in the North Caucasus city of Nalchik, Temirkanov attended the Leningrad School for Talented Children where he continued his studies in violin and viola. His older brother Boris was also a conductor.

In 1968, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the then-renamed Leningrad Symphony where he remained until his appointment as Music Director of the Kirov Opera and Ballet in 1976.

Temirkanov was the first Soviet artist permitted to perform in the United States after...