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On September 18, 2026, a virtual exhibition entitled “September 18 – National Music Day” and a traditional book exhibition of the same name were presented to visitors at the Azerbaijan National Library named after M.F. Akhundov to celebrate National Music Day and promote Azerbaijan’s rich musical culture and heritage.

The exhibitions feature collections of musical scores by Azerbaijani composers published within the framework of the project “From Our National Musical Treasury: From the Collections of the Azerbaijan National Library”, jointly implemented by the National Library and the Ministry of Culture, as well as bibliographies published in the “Outstanding Personalities of Azerbaijan” series. The exhibitions also display publications in Azerbaijani and foreign languages covering the history and development of Azerbaijani music, the creative legacy of the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the lives and achievements of prominent Azerbaijani musicians, their educational activities, and traditional national musical instruments.

The virtual exhibition is available at: https://anl.az/el/vsb/Milli_Musiqi_gunu/index.htm

National Music Day is celebrated annually on September 18, the birthday of the outstanding Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli. The celebration was officially established by a Decree signed by National Leader Heydar Aliyev in 1995, marking the composer's 110th birth anniversary.

On February 3, 2025, President Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree on the celebration of the 140th birth anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the founder of the first opera in the East, an outstanding musicologist, publicist, playwright, educator, prominent public figure, People's Artist, State Prize laureate and full member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences.

Uzeyir Hajibeyli played a fundamental role in shaping Azerbaijan's professional musical culture and establishing its national composition school. His creative heritage continues to influence generations of musicians and remains an integral part of the country's cultural identity.

National Music Day provides an important opportunity to preserve and promote Azerbaijan's musical traditions, support music education, and introduce the country's cultural achievements to international audiences.

The celebration has acquired particular significance following Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day Patriotic War and the liberation of Shusha, the birthplace of Uzeyir Hajibeyli. As part of the cultural revival of Karabakh, the composer's bust was restored in Shusha with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, while his musical works once again began to resonate in his native city.

Today, Shusha hosts major cultural events, including the Khari Bulbul Music Festival and the Vagif Poetry Days, where the works of Uzeyir Hajibeyli are performed as an enduring expression of Azerbaijan's rich musical and cultural heritage.