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Khadisha Onalbayeva
Khadisha Onalbayeva, Kazakhstan pianist became the first Kazakhstan musician to be awarded with Steinway Artist Award, Tengrinews.kz reports. Prominent pianists like Sergey Rakhmaninov, Vladimir Gorovits, Yevgeny Kissin were awarded with the title earlier.
The great Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein was engaged to play Steinway pianos during his American concert tour in 1872, with 215 concerts in 239 days. It was a triumph for both Rubinstein and Steinway. Thus, the Steinway Artists program was born. Today more than 1,600 concert artists and ensembles bear the Steinway Artist title, which means that they have chosen to perform on Steinway pianos exclusively, and each owns a Steinway. Kazakhstan's Khadisha Onalbayeva became number 1601 in this list.
It is expected that the official Steinway Artist Awarding Ceremony will be held on January 22. According to the rules of the program, from now on Steinway Company will provide Khadisha Onalbayeva with Steinway pianos for all her concerts, regardless of the place of the concert. Also the pianist will be invited to all the events and concerts that will be arranged by Steinway Company. The pianist’s photo will appear in the famous Steinway Gallery in New York surrounded by other famous pianists.
Khadisha Onalbayeva lives in the United States, in Florida, in recent years. She teaches in Florida and Alabama Universities and Colleges and also gives frequent concerts.
It is planned that the pianist will perform in Almaty and Astana in 2013. Her first CD titledMusic. Menin omirim. (Music. My Life in Kazakh) was released recently in the U.S. It is expected to be released in Kazakhstan in the nearest future as well.
The pianist gave an interview to Megapolis.kz and said that Steinway Artist Award title “is also a merit of Kazakhstan authentic culture, Zhubanov Musical School and Kurmangazy Conservatoire professors, who taught me.”