January—February, 2009

Kazakhstan’s dynamic diva

The talent of opera singer Mayra Mukhamedkyzy knows no borders. Born to a Kazakh family in China, she moved to Kazakhstan 14 years ago and has forged a sparkling career on the national and international stage. Mayra Mukhamedkyzy tells tengri about her opera singing career, and how she’s also branching out into Kazakh folk music.

Mayra, how often do you sing in Kazakhstan?

As soon as I’ve finished any job abroad, I come here straight away. For me Almaty’s the most convenient city. It has powerful energy and the most interesting people. I sing here with great pleasure, working for those who appreciate me. When I have free time, I produce plays or concerts and perform for Kazakh opera lovers.

In Almaty you work at the Abay State Opera and Ballet Theatre. How many operas are you currently performing?

Unfortunately, I’ve been singing in my own theatre only rarely of late, but I want to change this. I’ve had a lot of work abroad, which stopped me from being in Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor even though the role of Lucia’s my best known part. I look forward to some new performances. Some people are like tram passengers: going by tram, happy with everything and without ambition. I’m not that kind of person. I’m always unhappy with something and I always wish to make life better.

Aren’t you sorry about leaving China 14 years ago? Chinese diva Song Zuyin sang a duet with Placido Domingo at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Who knows, maybe you would have been singing with him if you’d stayed there.

I’m not sorry. Kazakhstan’s my historical homeland. I’m very grateful to China for training me. Song Zuyin’s my friend and was my classmate. We studied with the same teacher—she was learning folk singing and I was learning opera singing. I was very happy for her. I congratulated her by phone, and she told me about the preparations for the performance and about the magnificent dress she was wearing when she sang. The dress was decorated with 200,000 hand-sewn Swarovski crystals. This kind of dress could only be seen in China! I also know Placido Domingo. In 2005 he invited me to the Washington opera, where we worked together. He’s a very kind and attentive person. After each of my performances he asked if I was all right. I want to invite him to Kazakhstan and sing with him here, but his tours are scheduled five years ahead and we can’t find free time in his schedule.

When did you last perform in China?

Last year I was invited to the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival. Jessye Norman, the legendary American opera diva, sang there. Afterwards Placido Domingo gave a solo concert. I was the third performer, which was a great honour.

Were you brought up in a musical family?

Yes, my mother’s a people’s artist of China and my father’s a composer. They and two of my brothers still live there. Mt other brothers and sisters and their families have moved to Kazakhstan, closer to me, and I help them out. I also dream of buying a flat here for my parents. They’re elderly—my father’s 84 and my mother’s 74—and I want them to be with me.

Is it true that you’re planning to release a disc of Kazakh folk songs?

My father’s collected about 500 Kazakh folk songs. I always used to get excited when my mother sang them. My parents gave these treasures to me. I’ve recorded 21 compositions, 16 of which have been included on the disc, which is called Inzhu Marzhan. It’s already on sale, but I haven’t got time to present it. Next year I plan a short holiday to record the second album.

Do you have favourite heroines that you love performing?

I love all parts full of dramatic effects which are emotionally challenging for the singer—Violetta, Lucia, Margarita, Juliette, Manon. I dream of performing Amina in La Somnambula, Leonora in Il Trovatore and Mary in Mary Stuart. I love characters roles. All my parts are lyrical, but I want to try some more characters.

We used to see some rather large opera singers. Now they’re all slim. Why’s that?

Our generation of singers seeks new ways of living on stage. It used to be enough for the singer to have a beautiful voice, but we now think not only about the beautiful sound but also about the gestures and mise-en-scène, which should accurately communicate the feelings of the heroes to the audience and make them share their feelings. Anyway, I usually play young girls, young heroines who can’t be fat!

Why do you perform in Europe under the pseudonym Kerey? Is it your husband’s surname?

No, and incidentally it doesn’t relate to the Kazakh clan kerey, either. It was suggested to me that I use a short pseudonym and I chose this one. However, I always perform in Kazakhstan under my own name, Mayra Mukhamedkyzy.

You often travel by air. How do like flying?

Sometimes I take up to five flights in a month. I like the opportunity to learn new works on board: I put the headphones on, turn on my MP3, take notes, listen to it over and over and learn it by heart. I love dreaming. Sometimes in the sky it seems to me that I feel the presence of God. It’s an astonishing condition which is hard to put into words. You become a kind of participant in some kind of sacrament. I sometimes have the impression that it’s not me singing but something leading me from above.

Is it worth singing for such moments?

It’s worth living for such moments!

Saida Suleyeva,
Tengri in-flight magazine #1 (18)