The Kazakh Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra will give the first performance ever by an orchestra from Kazakhstan in Ireland on 23 October at Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral. 

The programme will feature the Irish premieres of two short works by 19th-century Kazakh composers, Kurmangazy Sagurbaev’s Balbyraun and Dauletkerey Shygayuly’s Kerogly. Alongside these will be Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Rossini’s Andante, Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra and Müller’s Canto for String Orchestra. 

The orchestra will be conducted by Erbolat Akhmedyarov, and joined by soloists Canadian violinist Lara St John and Kazakh clarinettist Berturgan Jolaman.  

The performance will mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Kazakhstan, and is part of the ‘Modern Kazakh Culture in a Global World’ initiative, launched at the end of 2017, which will see over 50 Kazakh theatre, music and art performances and exhibitions presented to international audiences. The tour will also visit Manchester’s Stoller Hall (25 October) and London’s Cadogan Hall (26 October). 

Tickets for the concert at Christ Church Cathedral cost €15 (seniors/students €10) and are available at www.christchurchtickets.com.