Students of the Department of Performing Arts, Zhuldyz Zhumadilova, Nurgul Zharylghassova and Kuralay Temirbekova, took part in the XII International Music Festival “From Christmas to Christmas” held in Barnaul (the Russian Federation).

The festival is aimed at discovering gifted young musicians and bringing their talents to light. Beside this, the festival’s mission is to develop performing art, preserving and enhancing cultural heritage. 

Almost 500 musicians participated in the festival. The competition included six categories. 

Zhuldyz Zhumadilova, a student of PSU, became a first-degree laureate in the Rare Musical Instruments category.

According to Zhuldyz, Altai region strives to preserve traditional culture, thus forming the fundamentals of national identity and patriotism. 

Zhuldyz shared her impressions of the competition: “I was glad to take part in such a large-scale festival. Competitions of this kind may be considered as a challenge and self-test for a musician. Of course, there was colossal tension inside me, as I was representing my country and culture and I had to demonstrate top performance. But on the other side, when you watch performances of other musicians, you note a school style, performance methods and, of course, all gaps. I performed the kuys of Kurmanghazy, the greatest composer of the Kazakh Steppe. I think a deep message that he put into his works, their capacity to reflect the spirit of that age and the soul of a nomad, helped me touch hearts of the audience.”