Shoista Mullojonova - Personal Life and Later Career

Personal Life and Later Career

Shoista Mullojonova was married to Efrem Haritonovich Benyaev from 1946 until his death in 1999. They had three children: Anna (a businesswoman living in Forest Hills, Queens, New York), Negmat (PhD, based in Moscow), and Sofia (M.D., based in Austria).

In 1991, Shoista and her family began to move from Central Asia, to the United States because of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the start of the civil war and rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Tajikistan. The family settled in Forest Hills, New York.

After emigrating to New York, Shoista joined the Bukharan Shashmaqam Ensemble, founded by Fatima Kuinova, "Merited Artist Tajikistan" and later the "Maqom" Ensemble, founded by Ilyas Malayev, "Merited Artist of Uzbekistan". After her husband, Efrem Haritonovitch Benyaev, died, she dedicated an album, "I'm Singing for You", in his memory. In September 2005, in Forest Hills High School, Shoista sang for an audience who all came to celebrate her 80th birthday, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Governor George Pataki, President Emomalii Rahmon of Tajikistan, and Boris Kandov, President of the Bukharian Jewish Congress of USA and Canada. Aged 80 she was able to touch people with her singing and remind them that she is singing for each and every one of them, as she says, "I am singing for you."

Boris Kandov published a biography about Shoista Mullojonova, entitled "Born to Sing", written by musicologist and author Rafael Nektalov, as well as making a documentary about the legendary singer. In March 2008, Shoista performed at the Golden Ilyas Awards Ceremony singing "Ey Dukhtari Nozanini Qadras" (Persian for "Hey, Beautiful Girl, All Grown Up) and received an award. The concert was held in honor of Bukharian poet, musician, and playwright, Ilyas Malayev.

In May 2010, a month before her death, she sang at the Russian Consulate General of New York the classic Russian/Tajik song, "Holiday of Victory" (Idi Zafar/Prazdnik Pobedy) in honor of the 65th anniversary of Victory over Nazism and was awarded the Russian medal in honor of being a participant in the war against Nazi Germany during the Great Patriotic War. This being her most famous song which she sang 65 years earlier on the Tajik state radio on May 9, 1945 on the news of the Soviet Victory over Nazi Germany.