From August 15 to 16, 2025, young voices will be heard in Kostanay again: the international vocal competition "Altyn Microphone", which has become one of the most important cultural platforms in Kazakhstan, will be held here. The founder of the competition is Akimat of Kostanay region. The competition is supported by the Department of Culture. Its organizers, the Regional Center for Amateur Folk Art and the Film Fund, ensure a high level of performance at all stages of the event, from regional to international, consistently confirming its prestige and trust from the professional community.

The history of Altyn Microphone began in 2002. Back then, no one could have imagined that a small urban competition for young vocalists would eventually turn into a large-scale international project. Vyacheslav Avdeev, a well—known Kostanay entertainer and conversational artist, whose initiative and enthusiasm became the starting point of a long journey, stood at the origins. The idea was significantly supported by the politician and statesman Valery Vishnichenko, who played an important role in the formation of the competition. Since then, Altyn Microphone has been steadily growing, expanding the geography of participants and professional standards. In 2023, 77 performers from Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine took part.

Each competition season is a truly large—scale cultural process. In 2025, the selection began with the regional stage, which took place from April 14 to April 21 in four regions of Kostanay region. 171 vocalists took part in it, of which 68 of the best went to the regional tour. Their performances were evaluated by an authoritative jury, which included leading cultural figures of the region: Gulbana Abdulina — Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Azamat Mukatov — composer and holder of the badge "Madeniyet salasyn uzdigi", Alua Musapirova — laureate of international competitions and teacher of the Rudn Music College, as well as Bekbolat Zhazykpaev — winner of the Grand Prix "Altyn microphone"and the winner of the TV project "X-Factor".

Gulbanu Abdulina, who has been heading the jury of the regional stage of the competition for many years, emphasizes that interest in Altyn Microphone is consistently high both inside and outside the country. "Applications are received not only from Kazakhstan, but also from near and far abroad. Over the years, the contest has established itself as an absolutely honest, transparent and truly creative project. Its laureates continue to shine on foreign stages and participate in international projects. This is a competition that shapes stage culture, artistry and responsibility. That is why it is so valuable for teachers and artists," Gulbanu Abdulina notes.

The final international stage includes two competitive rounds and will end with a bright gala concert. This year, vocalists from 7 to 23 years old are allowed to participate, divided into four age groups. Each participant performs two works, one of which must be in the Kazakh language — this condition remains unchanged for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. An important requirement of the competition is the complete exclusion of phonograms and autotune. The only negative is phonograms or live musical accompaniment. This is a principled position of the organizers, which allows not only to maintain a high artistic level, but also to introduce participants to professional stage culture.

The performances of the contestants are evaluated according to a set of important criteria. The jury carefully monitors the purity of intonation, the accuracy of the rhythmic pattern, the level of performing skills, and also pays attention to the complexity of the chosen repertoire. Important are artistry, stage culture, and expressiveness, including diction and microphone work. All these elements allow experts to objectively assess the young performer's readiness for the professional stage.

The professionalism of the judging staff is an additional guarantee of the quality of the competition. This year, the work of the contestants will be evaluated by craftsmen from Kazakhstan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine. It is from these countries that young talents will come to the competition, which makes Altyn Microphone a truly international platform. Zhenis Seydullauly, composer, Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, holder of the Kurmet Order and director of the Republican Variety and Circus College named after Zhusupbek Yelebekov, will once again become the chairman of the jury. Until 2020, this honorable mission was carried out by the legendary composer Kenes Duisekeyev.

For more than two decades, Altyn Microphone has been not only educating new generations of vocalists, but also opening doors to professional art for them. Over 20 years, 1,025 participants from different regions of Kazakhstan, as well as from near and far abroad, have participated. Grand Prix - 20, first places — 63, second places — 63, third places — 114, special prizes — 20. In total, the piggy bank of prize awards has 280 achievements. Over the years, the competition has opened up many new names to the music world. The winners of "Altyn Microphone" subsequently became prize-winners and laureates of prestigious international competitions. Among them are Meirimkhan Nazarkhanov (finalist of the "X-factor 2024"), Batyrkhan Malikov (soloist of the group Ninety One), Yernar Sadirbayev (Amre), Baluan Berkenov (lead soloist of the Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theater named after Abai), Anna Uvarova (Kazakhstan Dauysy), Aidar and Bekbolat Zhazykpaev ("X-Factor"), Yasmin Ibraeva, Ernaz Kabdyhamitov, Yasmin Ayupova.

"Altyn Microphone" is not just a competition. This is a large-scale cultural project that forms a new generation of artists and strengthens the international image of Kazakhstan as a country where young talents are given a ticket to the big stage. It is here, in Kostanay, that the first notes of a long journey to the top of the stage sound.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/kostanai-madeniet/press/news/details/992854?lang=kk