One evening, the school gym, usually filled with the sounds of balls and whistles, was filled with the magnificent arias of Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. The children listened with bated breath, afraid to even move from excitement.
According to the press service of the Kyrgyz National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after Abdylas Maldybaev, a concert featuring the theater's soloists took place at the Orozaly Tekeiev Secondary School, located in the village of Bukara in the Panfilov District of Chui Region.
The theater's director, Naila Rakhmadieva, organized this educational event to introduce schoolchildren to classical art.
The villagers eagerly awaited the arrival of the artists. The gym, which was able to accommodate everyone, filled with students, their parents, friends, and other residents of the village.
On stage performed People's Artist of Kyrgyzstan Baktybek Ibykeev, Honored Artists Aizirek Momunova, Aibek Saralaev, Nurzhigit Asanov, as well as international competition laureates Kristina Sevostyanova, Salima Mamatova, and Murat Derbishaliev. The concertmaster for the evening was Nurzhan Toktobekova.
The schoolchildren listened with interest to arias from operas by composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Charles Gounod, and Ruggero Leoncavallo, as well as works by Kyrgyz composers, including Nasyr Davlesov, Kaliya Moldobasanov, Atai Ogonbaev, Ashyraaly Aytaliev, and Musa Bayetov. For many of them, this was their first experience of a live encounter with professional opera singing.
A special moment was the master classes conducted by Baktybek Ibykeev himself, as well as artists from the "M" gallery under the direction of director Meirim Akmatkulova. In an informal setting, the children could ask questions and learn more about creative professions.
The audience warmly sent off the artists with thunderous applause and expressed their gratitude. After the concert ended, the hall remained filled for a long time as the children shared their impressions, full of delight. This meeting will undoubtedly leave warm memories in the hearts of the young viewers and remind them that great art can come even to a school gym.
