Raushan Orozbaeva

She is one of Kazakhstan’s most celebrated performers on the qyl-qobyz, the archaic two-stringed fiddle traditionally used by Kazakh shamans. During the Soviet era, the qyl qobyz became a central instrument of folk orchestras and consorts that performed arrangements of traditional folk music as well as newly composed European-style classical music. A graduate of the Kazakh National Conservatory named after Kurmangazy, Raushan Orozbaeva has performed widely in Europe and North America as a member of various ensembles and orchestras. A solo recording of her performances of classic Kazakh instrumental pieces was released by the Italian label Felmay. Her musicianship is also featured in two recent world music textbooks, The Music of Central Asia (Indiana University Press, 2016) and Pieces of the Musical World: Sounds and Cultures (Routledge, 2015). She currently teaches at Kazakh National University of the Arts, in Astana, Kazakhstan, and has been granted the title Cultural Figure of the Republic of Kazakhstan.