Roksonaki:
New Sounds from Kazakhstan

Sunday, March 9, 2008 7:00 pm
(Pre-performance lecture/demonstration at 5:30 pm)
Asia Society | 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street

Click here for ticket information

A smash hit at the 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Roksonaki pioneered the creation of a unique sound that integrates ancient Kazakh instrumentation with contemporary rock and jazz using motifs drawn from Eurasia's indigenous religious traditions. This concert presents an unparalleled opportunity to learn about Central Asian culture directly from Kazakhstan's most talented avant garde artists. Anthropologist Helen Faller discusses traditional Kazakh music and Roksonaki's influences in a pre-performance lecture/demonstration.

Listen to Roksonaki samples (each 1 min., 11 sec.):

Major support for performances at the Asia Society is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Helen and Will Little Endowment for Performing Arts. Additional support provided by New York State Council for the Arts.

Roksonaki: New Sounds of from Kazakhstan is a program of the Central Asian Cultural Exchange, with collaboration from the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States of America. Generously supported by Air Astana, the Kazakh-American Business Association, the Keleshek Foundation, Turkish Airways, and the participating institutions.

Photo courtesy of the artists.