The Turkmen capital hosted an annual competition to
discover and support young talented musicians and folk performers while promoting Turkmen cultural heritage and the art of
bakhshi. A total of 14 dutar players and 14 bakhshi singers were declared
winners of the contest, with participants ranging in age from 18 to 35.
Notably, dutar and bakhshi performances are integral to the centuries-old musical culture of
the Turkmen people. Therefore, in 2021, UNESCO included the craft of making the
dutar and the art of playing it, accompanied by bakhshi singing, in the Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
«At this competition,
I performed the Turkmen folk song titled «Teshnit» from the epic work «Shasenem and
Garip». It is a beautiful
piece. Honored bakhshi helped me in my preparation. I would like to thank my teachers and
my family for their great support,» said Dunyagozel Gutlyeva, student of the Turkmen National
Conservatory.
«I will perform the Turkmen folk song «Mirmyz» at the competition. I have been engaged in music since
childhood, attended a children’s art school. After graduating, I became a student of the specialized art school of the Balkan region.
It was my mentor who inspired me to pursue the art of bakhshi,» said Davut
Gulbayev, student of the specialized art school.
