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Dombras and Dutars: A Central Asian Music Celebration

Plus, watch a master play the ancient Kazakh kobyz

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Highlights from the Adam Grode and Yerbolat Myrzaliev performance at Asia Society's Washington, DC Center on March 18, 2011. (2 min., 9 sec.)
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Highlights from the Adam Grode and Yerbolat Myrzaliev performance at Asia Society's Washington, DC Center on March 18, 2011. (2 min., 9 sec.)

Plus, watch a master play the ancient Kazakh kobyz

WASHINGTON, DC, March 18, 2011 — As part of its ongoing "Music of Asia Series," Asia Society's Washington, DC Center and the Embassy of Kazakhstan co-hosted a Central Asian music festival at the Kazakhstan Embassy. The concert and lecture introduced the audience to local instruments such as the long-necked Kazakh lutes, the dombra and the kobyz. 

Ambassador Erlan A. Idrissov from Kazakhstan began the evening with an introduction to Nowruz, the celebration of the arrival of spring on the Iranian calendar. American Adam Grode followed with performaces on the dombra and the two-stringed dutar. 

Finally Yerbolat Myrzaliev, a well-known Central Asia musician, stole the show and had the crowd clapping along as he presented his unique skills on the kobyz, an ancient Kazakh instrument with strings made from horse hair. You can watch Myrzaliev's spirited performance in the video embedded below.

Reported by Hua Liu, Asia Society Washington, DC Center

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