National contest of young musicians held in Turkmen capital

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 supportsaid 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 childrens 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 bakhshisaid Davut Gulbayev, student of the specialized art school.