Bayan player from Kazakhstan becomes world champion

22-year-old bayan player from Kazakhstan Olzhas Nurlanov won the most prestigious international competition ‘74th Coupe Mondiale’. For the first time in the history of the competition, the first prize and the title of World Champion went to a Kazakh performer. The World Cup is an annual competition for bayan players and accordionists. It is organized by the International Confederation of Accordionists. This year the prestigious contest was held in the German city of Munich. The Kazakh bayan player won in the category of participants under 32 years old. Olzhas Nurlanov is a winner of more than 30 international competitions and took part in five festivals. He started playing bayan at the age of six.

“The preparations for this contest were, of course, very difficult, long and mentally demanding. I can say that I’ve been getting ready for this victory since I was a kid, from the very beginning of my journey. Every year, with every competition, with every performance, I was gaining experience and creating my signature style. This year is finally my breakthrough moment. My program consisted of a large number of works, ranging from the Baroque era, the Romanticism, to our modern Bayan composers. And each piece is unique in its own way,” said Olzhas Nurlanov, bayan player.

Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova

Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova