Kazakh Ensemble Enthralls Audiences in Washington Concerts
By Elaine Pasquini
Photos by Phil Pasquini
Washington: Performing their trademark sounds of ancient musical instruments, throat-singing, and rendering of Kazakh music, the TURAN ethno-folk music ensemble dazzled audiences at the US State Department, University of the District of Columbia, George Washington University and the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan during their March visit to the United States.
On March 24, in celebration of Nowruz, the day which marks the spring equinox, the Central Asia Program at George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Abai Center and the Embassy of Kazakhstan co-presented a concert by the wildly popular Kazakh band who brought to life the traditions of their native Kazakhstan. Their traditional folk costumes and headgear were reminiscent of the centuries-old attire of the semi-nomadic Cossacks of the Eurasian Steppe known for Jigitovka, exceptional trick horseback riding skills.
The award-winning five musicians, Serik Nurmoldaev, Bauyrzhan Bekmukhanbetov, Maksat Medeubek, Yerzhigit Aliyev and Zhantu Dadabayev, were students at the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory in Almaty when they came together to form TURAN in 2008. Since then, the folkloric ethnographic ensemble has performed more than 1,300 solo concerts in 70 countries. Following TURAN’s well-received performances in Washington, the group embarked on a European tour to showcase Kazakhstan’s rich musical heritage.
Speaking to a packed auditorium at GWU’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Yerzhan Ashikbayev, ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States, described TURAN as “unique and mysterious” in representing the original musical art of the Kazakh people. “TURAN is bringing to you the national voices of Kazakhstan throughout the centuries…they bring sounds, voices and melodies philosophically from Kazakhs’ understanding of the world,” he said. “You will be surprised to figure out which instrument sounds what way and you will definitely be hearing some voices of swans or horses without those animals being present here.”
Ambassador Ashikbayev paid tribute to the Kazakh company Altyanalmas for generously supporting TURAN’s tour and the Kazakh Culture and Sports Ministry which made the group’s performances possible.
The musicians have mastered some 30 folk instruments which recreate the sounds of many ancient musical instruments, including the following:
- Dauylpaz: a drum-like instrument originally used to convey signals during battles and later became commonplace in Kazakh culture.
- Dombyra: a long-necked musical string instrument which is an ancient piece of Kazkh culture and identity.
- Sybyzgy: a side-blown flute played by shepherds and horse herders.
- Shankobyz: a reed folk instrument made of metal, bones and wood.
- Kyl-kobyz: an ancient Kazakh bowed string instrument, traditionally a sacred instrument owned by spiritual doctors and shamans. According to legend, its music could banish evil spirits and illness.
Others include the nar-kobyz, sazsyrnay, zhetygen, sherter and tambourine. All of TURAN’s instruments – both string ones and drums – are made from natural organic materials such as wood, bones, horse mane and camel leather.
The following afternoon the Nowruz holiday was celebrated at GWU with a bazaar featuring exhibitions of jewelry, artwork, books, textiles and other handicrafts.
The celebration also included delicious Central Asian food, Uyghur traditional music and Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh and Uyghur folk dancing.
The highlight of the event was a fashion show featuring modern designs based on traditional styles from Uzbek, Kazakh and Uyghur designers.
Many festivalgoers wore the traditional attire of their native country, including the Central Asian hat worn across the region known as a doppa, an intricately hand-embroidered classic skullcap made of naturally dyed silk with patterns that revealed details about the hat wearer.
In addition to an enjoyable day of camaraderie, entertainment and food, the festival provided attendees with a greater understanding of the history, along with the artistic and cultural traditions, of this historic region of the world which was a major trading center located along the celebrated Silk Road, the 4,000-mile series of trading passages connecting the East to the West during the first millennium BCE through the14th century CE.
The event was co-organized by the Central Asia Program at George Washington University, the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC, The American Uzbekistan Association, and the Uyghur American Association.
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
