Kazakhstan marks 120th anniversary of Akhmet Zhubanov, founder of Kazakh professional music

Akhmet Zhubanov was born on April 29, 1906, in the Temir district of the Aktobe region. His father, Kuan, dreamed of providing modern education for children and established a small school in Zhanaturmys village, which was attended not only by his own children but also by local pupils.

Later, Zhubanov continued his studies at a technical school and then at the Leningrad conservatory. In 1933, he returned to Kazakhstan and began working at a music and drama school in Almaty, where he founded a dombra ensemble that later grew into the Kazakh National Orchestra of Folk Instruments.

His works remain relevant today despite being written in the first half of the twentieth century. According to art historian Dr. Saule Utegalieva, Zhubanov preserved the rich heritage of Kazakh singers and kuyshi. He traveled extensively across regions, collecting materials and working with archives. Consequently, his scholarly research is now regarded as an authentic chronicle of Kazakh music.

Utegalieva also noted that Akhmet Zhubanov conducted extensive research on folk musicians and performers. His works “Ǵasyrlar pernesi” (Strings of centuries) and “Zamana bulbuldary” (Nightingales of the century) are considered encyclopedic in scope. He personally knew many performers and documented both historical and contemporary musical traditions in “Án men kúı sapary” (Song and kyu journey) and “Ósken óner” (Grown talent). His monograph on Kurmangazy is regarded as unique for its reliance on archival materials from Orenburg, Astrakhan, Saint Petersburg, and Kazakhstan. He also contributed to musical notation and to the publication of Kurmangazy’s kuy.

Akhmet Zhubanov is the founder of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Orchestra of Folk Instruments.

As Saule Otegalieva emphasized, while folk orchestras were emerging across Central Asia, the Kurmangazy Orchestra held a special place. Zhubanov adapted the Kazakh kuy for orchestral performance, helping Kazakh music gain international recognition. Today, the orchestra continues to perform works based on his arrangements.

He also led the Department of Art Studies at the Mukhtar Auezov Institute of Literature and Art, part of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. He played a key role in mentoring and developing young scholars.

According to Ainur Kaztuganova, after the Academy of Sciences was established in 1946, inspired by Kanysh Satpayev’s call for continuing scientific work, Zhubanov led the arts sector, developed the academic staff, and supported vulnerable groups, including orphaned children.

Professor Aigul Baibek noted that Zhubanov developed a system of professional music education, integrating national traditions with the European academic approach and shaping a new educational philosophy in which musicians are both performers and intellectually cultivated individuals.

Throughout his career, Akhmet Zhubanov composed more than 50 musical works, wrote over 300 articles, and authored more than 10 books, leaving a lasting legacy in Kazakhstan’s cultural and scientific history.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information released unique footage of Akhmet Zhubanov and the Kurmangazy Orchestra performing “Saryarka.”