On the International Children’s Day, Astana Opera plans to hold a number of interesting programmes. On June 1 and 2, Tibor Kocsák’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs choreographed by Gyula Harangozó will be presented to the youngest viewers at the Grand Hall. On June 1, a concert “Children Invite to the Opera House”, featuring children from the Chorus and Ballet Studios, will take place at the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
The opera house guests will also have an opportunity to see an exhibition of the works by pupils of the Theatrical Crafts Studio.
Children’s Day is traditionally celebrated with the arrival of summer on June 1. Our country pays special attention to the future generation. It is no coincidence that the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared this year the Year of Children. There are many interesting projects for young theatre-goers at Astana Opera. For example, a week of classical music for children was held with great success in March, and the premiere of the children’s opera Kanbak Shal by Zholan Dastenov is planned for autumn.
The Children’s Day programme will open with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which premiered in November last year. It is apparent that children and adults alike love the story of the cold-hearted stepmother, the Queen, and the funny dwarves. During the holidays, children have an opportunity to see their favourite characters at the Astana Opera’s Grand Hall and embark on a fascinating journey into the world of fairy tales.
Pupils of the Astana Opera Children’s Studio are also carefully preparing for the holiday. In particular, the Children’s Chorus is rehearsing exciting numbers, including Akhmet Zhubanov’s Ak Kogershin, Tolegen Mukhamejanov’s Zaman-ai, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Tchaikovsky’s Neapolitan Song, Glinka’s The Skylark, H. Bibi’s Hats, Cesare Bixio’s Mamma and many others. Young talents Elzara Kuraisova, Aisulu Zhanzhigit, Togzhan Yermagambet, Danial Orekeyev, Danial Alimbayev, Bakhtiyar Kanat and others are expected to perform in the concert.
“It is intuitive for any artistic team to reflect on the work done during the year and to report back to the audience. The Studio’s students are given the unique opportunity to perform several times a month according to the repertoire plan in opera productions and concerts on the main stage. This is a great opportunity for aspiring performers to enter the profession and connect their future with artistic work. Thus, during the ninth season, young talents performed in various operas: Puccini’s La Bohème, Brusilovsky’s Kyz-Zhibek, Bizet’s Carmen, and also Tleugazy Beissembek’s musical fairy tale Samruk Kelgen Tan. In June, they will participate in Puccini’s Tosca and Turandot. In addition, many of the concerts for adults held at the Kulyash Baiseitova Chamber Hall are graced by their remarkable voices,” said Altynganym Akhmetova, head of the Children’s Chorus.
Aigerim Saken, one of the pupils of the Children’s Studio, practically grew up at Astana Opera, where she has been studying since 2014.
“Everyone in my family is a musician. I decided to follow in their footsteps and tie my future to music. The Astana Opera Children’s Studio helps to achieve this goal, because we study with very qualified teachers. Here we often meet world-famous performers and have the opportunity to see them work and talk to them,” said Aigerim.
In this concert, pupils of the Ballet Studio will perform extracts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty, variations from Acts 1 and 3 of Minkus’ Don Quixote, and variations from Adam’s Le Corsaire.
In addition to the opera house’s Chorus and Ballet Studios, which have been running since 2014, pupils from the Theatrical Crafts Studio, which opened last year, will also be showing their talents. The children have prepared interesting handicrafts and drawings for the exhibition.
“This is the second exhibition of the Children’s Crafts Studio in four months. It will showcase the handicrafts and drawings made by our students in the “Fashion Design, Patternmaking and Sewing”, “Patchwork”, “Woodcarving”, and “Painting and Drawing” groups. I would like to say that children who participate in our classes are very motivated, their skills are improving with every class,” said Bakhytzhan Sarsenbayeva, supervisor of the Children’s Studio.
It is worth noting that the opera house has hosted quite a few exhibitions to mark important events in the past. It is gratifying that children’s works are now being added to their numbers.
Astana Opera plans to celebrate Children’s Day not only as a fun holiday for children but also to make a reminder to society of the need to protect children’s rights, so that all children grow up happy, studying, doing what they love and becoming great parents and citizens of our country in the future.
