　　Upon the invitation of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Grammy-nominated Tajik maestro Sirojiddin Juraev will make his Hong Kong debut and stage a concert in June. Together with two Tajik musicians, Juraev will perform classical pieces with traditional Central Asian musical instruments. He will also play his original compositions with local musicians, allowing audiences to enjoy the ancient rhythms and modern tunes of the Silk Road.
　　Located in Central Asia, the geographical crossroads of East and West, Tajikistan inherits a rich, colourful urban cultural tradition from ancient Persia, medieval Islamic lands, and the confluence of neighbouring cultures. During the concert, Juraev from Tajikistan will perform solo Tajik traditional repertoires with Central Asian musical instruments such as the dutar, tanbur and sato. He will also join musician Shavkatjon Okilov (playing a Central Asian musical instrument called the ghijak) and singer-musician Bekhruz Naimzoda (playing Central Asian musical instruments tanbur and doira) to present a number of Tajik musical gems, including excerpts from the classical "Shashmaqom", which is on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In addition, Juraev will present his original compositions, inspired as much by musical tradition as by his collaborations with musicians from around the world. Local dutar performer Eugene Leung and guzheng performer Jessie Law will participate in the performance, further enriching the musical diversity of the concert.
　　Juraev is a master performer on long-necked lutes from Central Asia. He was born into a musical family in northern Tajikistan, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2007. He was an artist-in-residence at Harvard University, and has been the music director of Tajikistan's State Ensemble of Shashmaqom since 2020, by which he has performed and promoted Tajik music around the world. He has also collaborated with a wide range of musicians from the East and the West, including pipa virtuoso Wu Man, the Kronos Quartet and more.
　　The "Tajik Music with Sirojiddin Juraev – Tradition and Innovation on the Silk Road" concert will be staged at 8pm on June 17 (Monday) at the Theatre of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $240 and $280 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. A meet-the-artist session will be held after the performance. Members of the audience are welcome to stay behind to join. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1703.html.
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