Muhitdin Qoriyoqubov was an Uzbek baritone singer and one of the first Uzbek folksingers. A co-founder of the Muslim Youth Dance Troupe along with Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi in 1918, he became a major player in the development of the early music and theater scene of the Uzbek SSR.

Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi was an Uzbek author, composer, playwright, poet, scholar, teacher, and political activist. Niyazi is widely seen as one of the leading figures in the early development of modern Uzbek literary tradition. He is generally considered the first Uzbek playwright, the founder of modern Uzbek musical forms, as well as the founder of Uzbek social realism. During the Russian Revolution, he strongly supported the Bolsheviks, as they strongly opposed the system of feudal rule that was prevalent in much of Central Asia. He was one of the first Uzbeks to join the Communist Party and dedicated his life to promoting literacy and education in his homeland, opening schools and orphanages.