Shaken Zhorobekova (born 1945) is a singer and instrumentalist from the Ala-Buka district of the Osh region, a honored artist of the republic. Her performance of music for the zhygach ooz komuz first took place in 1967 at competitions of folk singers and musicians. At that time, she played the kyuu "Kukushka" ("Kukuk"), marking the beginning of the spread of zhygach ooz komuz music as an independent instrumental genre.
Sh. Zhorobekova was also a pioneer in the formation of a modern repertoire for this instrument. She created many melodies for kyuu: "Arman," "Dewichiy Arman" ("Kyzdyn Armany"), "On the Pasture" ("Zhayloodo"), "In the Yurt" ("Boz Uido"), "Chasing the Girl" ("Kyz Kuumay"), "Kyrgyz Star" ("Kyrgyzdyn Zhyldyzy"), "Enisey" (the name of a river), "Girl's Voice" ("Kyzdar Unu").
The ensemble of zhygach ooz komuzists, organized under Zhorobekova's leadership, performed both domestically and internationally, including at the first World Congress of Jew's Harp Music, held at the initiative of UNESCO in the capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Sh. Zhorobekova herself won a prize and the title of laureate at the jew's harpists competition.
Musicians from Kyrgyzstan are active participants in international forums of jew's harpists and members of the World Jew's Harp Association, with its center in Molln (Austria).
