One sentence bio

Shohret Nur is an award-winning Uyghur rawap and dutar player, based in London.

Short bio

Shohret Nur is an outstanding young Uyghur musician, based in London. He specialises in playing the Uyghur stringed instruments dutar and rawap. Originally from kasghar, Xinjiang, Shohret’s great grandfather and grandmother were both dutar players. Continuing this rich musical legacy, Shohret is helping to bring Uyghur music to wider attention around the world.

Full-length bio

Shohret Nur is an outstanding young Uyghur musician, based in London. An award-winning performer, Shohret specialises in the Uyghur stringed instruments, rawap and dutar.

Shohret’s great grandfather was a musician and dutar player from kasghar, Xinjiang, while his grandmother was a dutar player and a professional dancer. Continuing this rich musical lineage and supported by his grandmother - Shohret’s first dutar teacher - Shohret fell in love with dutar and rawap as a young child. He has since reached an impressive mastery of these instruments, and is a talented composer as well as a virtuoso performer.

Having initially pursued rawap performance at the prestigious Xinjiang Arts Institute, Shohret relocated to Turkey to continue his studies in 2013. Between 2013 and 2017, he collaborated with various Turkish music groups, and in 2020 led the Istanbul Sanat Ensemble. Shohret has also collaborated with the British Library, and various international competitions, including the International Federation of Students and Requiem for Justice. Shohret currently continues to participate in various international events such as the Uzbek Culture and Food Festival, as well as performing with the Silk Road Collective.

Shohret is also a teacher, researcher, and skilled musical analyst, with a particular focus on the Uyghur Twelve Muqam classical music repertoire. He is currently a Research Assistant at the Music Department of SOAS, University of London.