Shovkat Mammadova

Shovkat Mammadova was born in Tbilisi, Georgia.

In 1911, with the help of Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev and his life partner Sona, she entered a music school in Milan, Italy. However, in 1912, she returned and continued her education at the Tbilisi Music School. That year, she performed as a professional performer for the first time at the Tagiyev Theater in Baku. She performed several pieces from Uzeyir Hajibeyov's operetta "Husband and Wife". In 1915, she entered the Kiev Conservatory. During a trip to Italy, she re-entered the Milan Music School and completed her unfinished education in 1927–1930. On her initiative, the Baku Theater Technical School was opened in 1923 (she was its director in 1923-1925) and a sheet music publishing house was established. She taught professional vocal lessons at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory until her last days. She was the first chairman of the Azerbaijan Theater Society (1945-1952). She first appeared on the stage of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater in 1921 in the role of Violetta ("Traviata", G. Verdi), and was a soloist of the theater until 1948 (with breaks). She was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR (1-4 convocations).

The first professional Azerbaijani female singer (lyric coloratura soprano), People's Artist of the USSR, Professor Shovket Mammadova died in 1981 and was buried in the Alley of Honor.