Tugan Sokhiev — conductor with roots in the Russia
Tugan Sokhiev is a Russian conductor of Ossetian heritage born in Vladikavkaz who became Chief Conductor of both the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse simultaneously — before resigning from the Bolshoi following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Tracing the roots — Vladikavkaz
Born in Vladikavkaz (capital of North Ossetia) in 1977 and trained at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Ilya Musin, Sokhiev carries the North Caucasian Ossetian heritage that connects him to the multiethnic fabric of the Russian Empire's southern sphere. His resignation from the Bolshoi — citing the impossibility of being placed between his Russian and French musical families — was one of classical music's most dignified responses to the Ukraine war.
Vladikavkaz. Today, the former Soviet space comprises fifteen sovereign independent states.