Named in honor of Yurij Khatuevich Temirkanov (b. 1938), an outstanding conductor. From 1976 to 1988 he was the conductor of the Kirov theater in Leningrad, where a number of splendid operas and ballets were produced under his leadership. Since 1988 Temirkanov has been the artistic director and orchestra conductor of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society. He is also a conductor of the London Royal Orchestra and a main invited conductor for the Dresden Philharmonic. Name suggested by the Union of Concert Workers of Russia and supported by the discoverer.