Over 12,000 viewers attended Operaliya 2025 Festival in Astana

From May 16 to July 13, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information, Astana Opera hosted the Operaliya 2025 International Music Festival, which brought together over 12 thousand viewers and captivated even the most sophisticated art connoisseurs.

For many theatregoers, these were unforgettable meetings with Kazakh and foreign artists and the discovery of new names.

Exclusive trilogy of Roland Petit’s ballets (L’Arlésienne, Le Jeune Homme et la Mort and Carmen) was presented for the first time, and the audience also enjoyed the fabulous premiere of The Sleeping Beauty staged by Altynai Asylmuratova, as well as the premiere of the opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi staged by Yevgeniy Chainikov.

The Gala Ballet featuring stars from China, France and Russia – Zhuming Chen, Mengying Fang, Maria Ilyushkina and Even Capitaine – left a tremendous impression on the audience.

“The scale of the festival was impressive. It became a real cultural event, and we wish it a long life, thunderous ovations and full house performances. This is our first time in Kazakhstan, and we have discovered the wonderful Astana Opera. The opera house has a superb ballet company and a very high level of performances. Assuredly, we really enjoyed warm welcome of the Kazakh audience,” Zhuming Chen and Mengying Fang shared after the performance.

Operaliya 2025 had incredible diversity: from Sydyq Mukhamedzhanov’s national comic opera Aisulu by to Bizet’s monumental Carmen with the Russian tenor Dmitry Golovnin as Don José. The unique project Nomad Inspiration deserved special attention. A synthesis of instrumental Kazakh ethno-folklore and ballet art, it was performed by the HasSak ensemble and the opera house’s ballet company with the project’s choreographer Sultanbek Gumar.

The Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall did not remain on the sidelines as well. The audience was offered cello evenings, a piano recital, where the viewers applauded virtuoso Moscow pianist Yelaman Yernur, vocal programs, including a wonderful evening in Sydyq Mukhamedzhanov’s memory, and, of course, Rossini’s opera buffa La Scala di Seta. In the Marble Hall, Rachmaninoff’s opera Aleko was performed with great success to a full house.

The festival ended with Puccini’s grand opera Turandot with Russian tenor Mikhail Pirogov as Calaf. Under the baton of the opera house’s principal conductor Alan Buribayev, the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra and Choir achieved stunning power and emotional depth, leaving the audience with unforgettable impressions.

Earlier it was reported that large-scale celebration of Abai Kunanbayev's 180th anniversary will be held at the poet's birthplace.