On 19 May 2026, the Grand Academic Hall of the State Conservatory «Santa Cecilia» in Rome hosted the friendship concert «Harmony of Music», dedicated to the anniversary of the pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and to the opening of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Holy See.

The concert was jointly organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to the Holy See, the State Conservatory «Santa Cecilia» and the «Astana Opera» State Opera and Ballet Theatre.

The program featured musical masterpieces, renowned works by distinguished Italian and Kazakh composers. The concert brought together celebrated artists of the Kazakh and international opera stage, including Mariya Mudryak and Medet Chotabayev.

Soloists of the «Santa Cecilia» Conservatory and the «Astana Opera» Theatre performed arias and musical excerpts from operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Akhmet Zhubanov, and Latif Khamidi, as well as lyrical works by Abai Kunanbayev. Under the baton of Kazakh conductor Elmar Buribayev, the Symphony Orchestra of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory presented several orchestral works.

In celebration of the 120th anniversary of the outstanding Kazakh composer Akhmet Zhubanov, the Grand Symphony Orchestra of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, conducted by Astana Opera conductor Elmar Buribayev, performed the dance suite from the opera Abai. Renowned Serbian violinist Ilija Marinković performed Akhmet Zhubanov’s aria for violin and orchestra.

The audience warmly welcomed the performances, rewarding the artists with enthusiastic and prolonged ovations. Held at a high artistic level, the concert left a profound emotional impression on the audience and stood as a vivid testament to the power of music to unite cultures, peoples, and hearts.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-vatican/press/news/details/1227473?lang=ru