LIFE IN ART

On February 21, 2024, the Kazakh National University of Arts hosted a round table “In search of unity: dialogue in the space of music” and a concert dedicated to the 70th anniversary of professor, doctor of art history Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna Dzhumakova.

Dzhumakova Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna is one of the authoritative musicologists of Kazakhstan, whose name is known outside the country and guests, colleagues, and former students from different cities came to congratulate her on her anniversary. Dzhumakova U.R. started at the Almaty Conservatory named after. Kurmangazy, having gone from teacher to associate professor. Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna Dzhumakova has been working at the Kazakh National University of Arts since its founding, from 1998 to 2011. she headed scientific and methodological activities as vice-rector for scientific work. Dzhumakova U.R. made a great contribution to the formation of the university’s scientific base, especially paying attention to replenishing the library’s collection.

On the initiative of Dzhumakova U.R. Academic and international scientific and practical conferences were held, collections of scientific articles and materials, and teaching aids for teachers were published annually. Since 2000, she has actively participated in the activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan to reform education, and has developed State Standards for Higher Education in music specialties. Since 2007 led the Expert Commission of the Coordination Council for the development of textbooks of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2014, Dzhumakova U.R. received the title “Best University Teacher”. During her teaching career, Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna graduated a galaxy of students, master's students, doctoral students, who now themselves successfully work in higher and secondary educational institutions and are engaged in scientific activities.

Scientific interests cover theoretical and methodological issues of general musicology, problems of music interpretation, the work of composers and the musical culture of Kazakhstan.

Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna annually makes presentations at international conferences and symposiums: Samarkand, Dushanbe, Tashkent, Omsk, Almaty, Uralsk, Yakutsk, Astana, etc. Dzhumakova U.R. – active promoter of musical art, member of the Union of Composers of Kazakhstan. From 2005 to 2010 was a member of the Dissertation Council for the defense of candidate dissertations in the specialty 17.00.02 Art History. Musical art.

The concert featured the favorite works of the hero of the day: music by F. Chopin, S. Mukhamedzhanov, E. Rakhmadiev, masterpieces of Kazakh vocal and opera classics. Colleagues from the faculties of “Musicology and Piano”, “Traditional Musical Art”, “Theater Art and Art History”, and the Astana Opera Theater delivered congratulations. Umitzhan Rakhmettulovna is an expert not only in the field of musicology, but also theater studies; she is a member of the jury of the Umai national art award. Colleagues highly value Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna not only as a thoughtful scientist, but also as a fair person, uncompromising in her assessments.

For the anniversary of U.R. Dzhumakova Library organized an exhibition dedicated to her work, where guests and round table participants could familiarize themselves with the biography and scientific works of the musicologist. Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna is the author of monographs, textbooks, teaching aids and articles on the problems of musical culture of Kazakhstan; she has written over 100 works.

Works of Dzhumakova U.R. formed a new direction of Kazakh musicology, focused on the cultural study of the work of Kazakh composers.

The monograph “Offering to Gaziza Zhubanova” was written by Dzhumakova U.R. together with Gulnar Abdrakhman. The book is based on work on archives, documents, and statements by the composer himself and cultural figures. The authors set themselves a goal, summarizing all the knowledge about the musical works of Gaziza Zhubanova and based on authentic evidence of her path in art, to tell with the utmost accuracy about the life and work of the composer, and also to expand the understanding of the features of the musical art of Kazakhstan in the twentieth century.

The first generalizing study of the work of one of the original composers of Kazakhstan is presented by the monograph “Zhumatai Tezekbaev muzykasynyn formantalary”, “Forms of the music of Zhumatai Tezekbaev” (in 2 languages).

The doctoral dissertation of the hero of the day on the topic “Creativity of composers of Kazakhstan in the 1920s-1980s: problems of history, meaning and value” aroused great interest.

The textbook “Kazakh musical literature 1920-1980s”, created in collaboration with N. Ketegenova, is widely used in the educational process in secondary and higher educational institutions. Also W.R. Dzhumakova wrote textbooks not only for students, but also for master’s and doctoral students: “Methodology of modern musicology” in Kazakh and Russian, “Practicum”.

The exhibition presented a huge number of articles by the musicologist, which were published in the encyclopedia “Kazakhstan”, conference materials, in Kazakh and international journals, including articles such as “New aspects of the study of Kazakh music of the 20th century in the context of the Independence of the Republic”, “Musicology 1920- 1980s: problems, ideas, concepts”, “Collective creativity and authorship in opera: the historical experience of the musical culture of Kazakhstan”, “Kui Kurmangazy and the problems of Kazakh music of the 20th century”, “Musical traditions in a globalizing world”, “Latif Hamidi and the Tatar phenomenon in Kazakh musical culture”, etc.

In addition, Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna is on the editorial boards of Kazakh and international magazines, for example “Eurazialyk gylym zhane oner”, “Art education and science”, “Music. Art, science, practice."

The exhibition aroused keen interest among the guests and participants of the event; they were amazed at the number of works of the professor and admired the talent and scale of creativity of Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna. This is a real encyclopedist scientist, to whom, according to colleagues, you can turn to with a difficult question at any time.

The KazNUA library staff congratulates Umitzhan Rakhmetullovna on her anniversary and wishes her health, creative longevity and success in new research!