| Gulkhar Hasanova Gülxar Həsənova | |
| Birth Date: | 10 December 1918 |
| Birth Place: | Bayramli, Elizavetpol Governorate, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic |
| Death Place: | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Spouse: | Agadadash Gurbanov |
| Children: | Hamlet Gurbanov |
| Occupation: | singer, actress |
| Awards: | |
Gulkhar Ibrahim gizi Hasanova (Azerbaijani: Gülxar Həsənova; 10 December 1918 – 30 March 2005)[1] was an Azerbaijani mugham opera singer.
Gulkhar Hasanova (née Sultanova) was born in Bayramli. Originally she wanted to pursue a career in medicine and entered the Baku Medical College. While in college, she became an active member of the amateur drama club and revealed a passion for acting and singing. In 1936, she began acting at the Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators, while receiving education in acting at the Baku Theatre School.[2] Her musical gift was discovered during one of the performances attended by composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, who offered Hasanova a job as a soloist at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. She continued working at that theatre for the rest of her career. Hasanova performed mainly in mugham operas, a synthetic genre uniting European belcanto with Azeri folk music.[3] She received the most positive reviews for her roles as Leyli in Leyli and Majnun and Arabzangi in Shah Ismayil.[4]
Hasanova also greatly contributed to the training of young opera singers as a music instructor. Throughout her life, she occasionally appeared in minor and mostly uncredited roles in a number of feature films.[4]
In 1982 she was awarded the title of the People's Artist of Azerbaijan.[5]