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Composer Mikael Tariverdiev was born in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, and studied at the prestigious Gnesins Music School in Moscow under the renowned Soviet composer Aram Khachaturyan. Upon his graduation from that school in 1957, Tariverdiev went on to compose numerous vocal chamber pieces that were performed by the acclaimed singer Zara Dolukhanova. Soon he also started to compose film scores, and through his film music he became known to millions of people in the former Soviet Union. Overall, he scored 132 films, of which The Seventeen Moments of Spring and Irony of Fate are most notable. The composer also appeared as himself in the telefilm Adam Marries Eve (1981) where he performed his own songs. Tariverdiev's work was not limited to film -- he composed numerous vocal pieces, four ballets, four operas, concertos for violin and orchestra, and the organ symphony Chernobyl. He won 18 international awards including one from the American Music Academy in 1975, one from Japan's Victor Company in 1978, and three Nika film awards (Russia's equivalent of the Oscars) in 1991, 1994, and 1997.