At UNESCO Kazakhstan Commemorates Centenary of Nurgisa Tlendiev with Grand Concert of His Compositions

At UNESCO Kazakhstan Commemorates Centenary of Nurgisa Tlendiev with Grand Concert of His Compositions

Paris, 24 September 2025 – The UNESCO Headquarters in Paris hosted a special concert titled Centennial Resonance: Tribute to Tlendiev, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of outstanding Kazakh composer, conductor, and musician Nurgisa Tlendiev.

It was officially included in the list of anniversaries with which UNESCO is associated in 2024-2025 in recognition of his remarkable contribution not only to Kazakh culture but to the global musical palette.

In her welcoming address to the concert attendees, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aida Balayeva, noted: “Today’s event is a vivid testimony to the mutual understanding and close partnership between Kazakhstan and UNESCO.” According to her, ‘as genuine music knows no borders, bringing hearts together, Tlendiev’s compositions both reflect the spiritual world of the Kazakh people and promote universal human values”.

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone Ramirez added: “Today, we not only remember Tlendiev’s legacy – we experience it’’.

‘Through the orchestra he created, now conducted by his daughter Ms. Dinara Tlendieva, his spirit lives on, and every melody we hear is not just a performance, but a dialogue between past and present, tradition and innovation, authenticity and universality,” he emphasised.

Permanent Delegate of Kazakhstan to UNESCO, Ambassador Askar Abdrakhmanov, added that “Tlendiev succeeded in blending ancient sounds with modern forms, creating a unique musical language rooted in tradition but directed toward the future”.

The concert featured iconic works by Tlendiev performed by the Folkloric Ethnographic Orchestra Otyrar Sazy, under the baton of Dinara Tlendieva, the composer’s daughter and artistic director of the ensemble. Prominent Kazakh artists also graced the stage of UNESCO that evening, including Svetlana Aitbayeva, Alisher Karimov, Farhat Kubiyev, Gauhar Zhumagulova, Abai Koishybaev, Rasul Zharmagambetov, Nurgalym Amanbai, Ayagoz Khairullina, and Zhuldyz Baizhuma.

The works of Nurgisa Tlendiev became an integral part of the cultural heritage of the Kazakh people in the 20th century. He composed over 500 musical pieces, wrote music for more than 50 theatrical productions, and nearly 20 films. Before founding the Otyrar Sazy, he also served as the chief conductor of the Abai Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Almaty and the Kurmangazy Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments.

Among the guests were ambassadors and diplomats of the UNESCO Member States, personnel of the UNESCO Secretariat staff, Paris-based Kazakh compatriots, and music lovers from France and beyond.

The concert was co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan and the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to UNESCO.