Airat Ichmouratov

Airat Rafailovich Ichmouratov (Айрат Рафаилович Ишмуратов, Tatar Cyrillic: Айрат Рафаил улы Ишмурат,) born 28 June 1973, is a Volga Tatar born Russian / Canadian composer, conductor and klezmer clarinetist.

He is a founding member and clarinetist of award-winning Montreal-based klezmer group Kleztory and invited professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

Ichmouratov was born and raised in Kazan, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, he is the second child of Razima Ichmouratova (Gatina) and Rafail Ichmouratov.

Airat Ichmouratov is a representative of a well-known Tatar theatrical dynasty.

His grandfather, Riza Fakhrutdinovich Ishmurat (Ishmuratov), was a playwright, public figure, publicist, and director.

He was an Honored Artist of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic).

His grandmother, Rashida Abdulazyanovna Ziganshina, was an actress at the Galiaskar Kamal Tatar Academic Theatre, a public figure, playwright, and People's Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Russian Federation.

At the age of 7, Ichmouratov initiated his musical education at Kazan Children's Music School No. 3, named after Röstäm Yaxin.

There, he began learning to play first, the recorder, and by the age of 10, he also took up the clarinet.

His first teacher was Ildus Almazov, an Honored cultural worker of Tatarstan.

In 1993, upon being appointed as the Associate Clarinetist of the Tatarstan Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Tatarstan State Symphony Orchestra, he embarked on extensive touring in Europe.

He continued his education at Kazan Music College named after I.V. Aukhadeev, and Kazan Conservatory, graduating in 1996.

In 1997, Ichmouratov went to Canada to participate as a student at Orford Art's Centre Festival, where he met renowned Soviet-born Canadian cellist, conductor and music educator Yuli Turovsky, whom Ichmouratov considered a mentor and with whom collaborated on multiple occasions.

In 1998, Ichmouratov permanently moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he obtained a master's degree at the University of Montreal, and where he studied with Andre Moisan.

In 2000, he began studies as a conductor at the University of Montreal.

During these studies, he enrolled in an orchestration class with Alan Belkin (with whom Ichmouratov later studied composition ) where students were tasked with composing and orchestrating a melody in three different ways.

Ichmouratov became captivated by this exercise.

Initially composing eight bars, he found himself unable to stop.

He ultimately composed his first opus, a 45-minute-long String Quartet.

After beginning as a street musician, Icmouratov is today an orchestra conductor, klezmer clarinetist, and classical composer, having crafted a considerable amount of compositions.

Ichmouratov joined the klezmer group Kleztory in 2000.

He then founded the Muczynski Trio with Luo Di -Cello and Evgenia Kirjner on piano, which won 1st prize and the Grand Award at the National Music Festival (Canada, 2002) and 1st Prize at the 8th International Chamber Music Competition in Kraków (Poland, 2004).

Upon his initial arrival to Canada, in order to survive, Ichmouratov was compelled to play on the streets and in metro stations for the first four years.

During his interview with Evening-Kazan, he highlighted learning valuable skills from other street musicians, including improvisation, jazz, klezmer, and folk music.

With a need to perform whatever was in demand, this experience significantly bolstered his self-esteem and played an integral role in his journey to becoming a conductor.

In another interview given to Christophe Huss of Le Devoir, Ichmouratov mentioned that he became a composer almost by chance.

In 2004 Turovsky invited Ichmouratov's klezmer band Kleztory to record CD with I Musici de Montreal chamber orchestra (Chandos Records).

Ichmouratov's "Fantastic Dances" for clarinet, cello and piano with Strings and percussion were commissioned and recorded by Yuli Turovsky & I Musici de Montreal.

In 2004, Kleztory recorded a Chandos Records (Great Britain) CD with I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra and Yuli Turovsky.

Ichmouratov's first conducting job, after obtaining his doctorate degree in Orchestra Conducting at the University of Montreal (2005), was with chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy in Quebec City, where he was assistant conductor of specialist in Baroque and Classical repertoire, Canadian conductor Bernard Labadie.

The work was premiered in Pollack Hall on 20 December 2007.

In 2007 Kleztory's album Nomade won the Opus prize.

Les Violons du Roy's Concert on 5 December 2008 "Russian Impressions" under Ichmouratov's direction, which also presented the world premiere of his own Cello Concerto, won the Opus Prize in the category – best Concert of the Year.

Ichmouratov was appointed resident conductor of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra from 2009 until 2011, where he assisted Israeli conductor and composer Yoav Talmi.

In 2011, replacing Yuli Turovsky at short notice, Ichmouratov conducted I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra on tour in USA, Brazil and Peru.

In 2014, Arrival was nominated as best album of the year in the Traditional music category by ADISQ.

During 2018–2021 Ichmouratov served as composer and conductor in residence with Longueuil Symphony Orchestra.

He appeared as guest conductor with multiple orchestras around the world including Izmir State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), Free State Symphony Orchestra (South Africa), Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra (Russia), National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain and Les Grand Ballets Canadiens (Canada).

In May 2022, Ichmouratov conducted London Symphony Orchestra during the recording of his own Piano and Viola Concertos for Chandos Records.

In 2018, Kleztory won the Opus prize in the category – Best World Music Concert of the Year in Québec for Mundial Tour and in 2022 in the category Best World Music Album of the Year in Québec for Momentum.