Winners of 1st Umai National Award in Art announced

Minister of Culture and Sport opened the ceremony. He congratulated all the participants, wishing the art representatives new achievements on a great creative path. Overall, 19 laureates received the coveted statuette and cash prizes.

«This award is a tribute to all art figures, who, from the capital to the smallest remote places, with their work, make the life of those around them more beautiful and meaningful. Or, as Picasso said, «The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.» It is no coincidence that we named this award after the Turkic goddess, who personifies the feminine principle in nature and the warmth of the hearth. After all, if we compare the state with a house, then it is culture that creates comfort, harmony and beauty in it. I am sure that today the cherished statuettes will be given to Masters with a capital letter, whose virtuosity is an individual reflection of the vigorous development of all Kazakhstani art,» Dauren Abayev said.

It should be noted that the winners were chosen by the members of the panel of experts, whose names were kept secret until the last moment. This was done in order to create fair conditions.

Thus, the award winners are:

In the Theatrical Art nomination:

Opera Art – the best performance of the male part – Astana Opera’s principal soloist Medet Chotabayev for the part of Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca. The best performance of the female part – Astana Opera’s principal soloist Zhupar Gabdullina for the title role in Verdi’s Aida;

Acting – Galymbek Ospanov received the best male role award for the role of Henry Higgins in My Beloved Angel based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Stage director is Alimbek Orazbekov, Mukhtar Auezov Kazakh National Academic Drama Theatre, Almaty. For the best female role – Olga Korzheva for the role of Marina Tsvetaeva in Ars Amandi. The Art of Love. Stage director is Galina Yefimova, Natalia Sats State Academic Russian Theatre for Children and Youth, Almaty;

Best Stage Director – Farkhat Moldagali for the production of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Gabit Mussrepov Kazakh State Academic Theatre for Children and Youth, Almaty;

Best Designer – Sofya Tasmagambetova and Pavel Dragunov for the set and costume design of the production of Yerkegali Rakhmadiyev’s opera Alpamys at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre «Astana Opera»;

Best Musical and Dramatic Performance – Dulat Issabekov’s Borte at the Turkestan Music and Drama Theatre.

The Choreographic Art nomination has five awards:

Best Dance Team – Akku Dance Ensemble, the head is Gulnara Mambetova, for the dance Yene Tarbiyesi, Gaziza Zhubanova Aqtobe Regional Philharmonic;

Best Ballet Dancer – the best female soloist is Ainur Abilgazina, Astana Ballet theatre. The best male soloist is Azamat Askarov, Abai Kazakh National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre;

Best Choreographer – Mukaram Abubakhriyeva for the ballet Sultan Beibarys, Astana Ballet theatre.

Best Ballet Performance – The Call of the Steppe, ballet in 2 parts, composers – Kuat Shildebayev, Rinat Gaisin, Tolegen Mombekov, Carlos Pino-Quintana. Artistic director is Altynai Asylmuratova, the State Opera and Ballet Theatre «Astana Opera».

Winners in the Musical and Performing Arts nomination received three awards:

Best Traditional Performer (Singing) – Dias Muratkhan, Alatau Theatre of Traditional Art, Almaty.

Best Traditional Performer (Instrumentalist) – Zhangali Zhuzbay, Kazakh National University of Arts, Astana.

Best Musical Ensemble – Duet Classic, Yermek Kurmanayev / Anara Kamelinova, Zhambyl Kazakh State Philharmonic, Almaty, Kazakh National University of Arts, Astana.

Three awards were presented in the Fine and Decorative and Applied Arts nomination:

Best Arts and Crafts Work – Saule Bapanova, felt collection, Temirbek Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts;

Best Work of a Painter / Graphic Artist – painter Vyacheslav Lui-Ko, The Return of Umai, graphics.

Best Project in Contemporary Art – Saken Narynov for The Golden Heart project, Architects Union of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Minister Abayev awarded the Best Children’s Performance Special Prize, dedicated to the Year of Children, to the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography for Riccardo Drigo’s ballet La Romance d’un Bouton de Rose et d’un Papillon and to the Mangistau Regional Puppet Theatre for the Trilogy: Tales of Grandmother Aizhan, An Ornament Come to Life and Dastarkhan. Stage director is Nadezhda Nasyrova.

The panel of experts of the Umai National Award also handed out 2 encouragement awards: to the play Dog, based on the story by Nodar Dumbadze, the Alakai Aqtobe Regional Puppet Theatre, stage director – Anton Zaitsev, designer – Assiya Kurmanalina, and to the musical Return of Umai of the Meyirim Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities «For Awareness of the Importance of Universal Human Values». The author of the project is Galiya Utebekova, Almaty. The teams were given the right to perform at one of the professional theatrical stage venues in Almaty and Astana.

«In 2022 alone, we implemented a great number of projects in the field of culture and art. In addition to Umai, these are the Dala Dauysy creative competition, the Shertpe Kuy traditional music festival, the Rosa Baglanova Vocal Competition, the Astana Piano Passion competition for young pianists, the republican aitys Altyn Dombyra, the Eurasia Film Festival, the Aiboz literary award. This is not a complete list. Next year there will be even more such projects,» Dauren Abayev summarized.

Let us note that the award ceremony was preceded by an exhibition of paintings and sketches in the opera house foyer, as well as the red carpet ceremony.