Born in Tashkent on 3 October 1988, Shokhakimov was accepted at age six at the Uspensky Music School for Gifted Children where he studied violin, viola and conducting with Vladimir Neymer.
[3] Seven years later, at thirteen, he made his conducting debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan.
[6][7][8][9] In Bamberg in 2010 he took 2nd prize in the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition,[10][3] leading to invitations to work with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the London Philharmonic, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.
[11] In 2016 Shokhakimov jointly won the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors' Award, given during the Salzburg Festival.
[19] This encounter left a cherished and lasting impression on him; he spoke highly of the orchestra's musicians, describing them as "shining" in their performances.