BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 30. On April 29, 2026, an international scientific and practical conference titled “Akhmet Zhubanov and Contemporary Musicology” was held at the Scientific and Cultural Center “Auezov House” in the city of Almaty. The event was dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding composer, conductor, the first academician in the field of musical arts, and one of the founders of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, Akhmet Zhubanov, TurkicWorld reports.
The event was organized by the M.O. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art with the support of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the National Academy of Sciences under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the T. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts.
The conference brought together a wide range of representatives from academic and cultural circles. During the official opening ceremony, congratulatory letters from Kazakhstani state officials were read out. Addresses were delivered by Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, and President of the National Academy of Sciences Aqylbek Kurishbayev.
As an honorary guest, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Aktoty Raimkulova, delivered a speech, emphasizing that the composer’s legacy is not only the heritage of the Kazakh people but also a shared spiritual treasure of the entire Turkic world. She noted with pride that she had been a student of the distinguished Kazakh composer Gaziza Zhubanova, highlighting that this teacher-student relationship had become a guiding force in her creative journey. She also underlined that Akhmet Zhubanov, having laid the foundations of professional Kazakh music, was an outstanding figure who deeply understood the cultural continuity of Turkic peoples and passed this shared memory on to future generations.
Speakers at the opening ceremony also included Director General of the M.O. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art Kenzhekhan Matyjanov, Director of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Orchestra of Folk Instruments Medet Kuanyshev, Rector of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory Gaukhar Tasbergenova, and Rector of the T. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts Arman Zhudebayev, who conveyed their best wishes on the occasion of the юбilee.
During the plenary session, various presentations were delivered focusing on the scholarly and compositional work of Akhmet Zhubanov, and new publications dedicated to his legacy were also presented.
The event continued with a special concert program titled “Ösken Öner”, featuring arias from the opera Abai and other classical works by the composer.
The participation of experts from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia enabled a broad discussion on the significance of Zhubanov’s legacy in contemporary art studies within a wide geographical context.
