Concert halls Almaty

This theater, inaugurated in Almaty in 1934, has one special feature: it's the only professional Uyghur theater in the world. And given China's policy in Xinjiang, you're unlikely to see Uyghur culture expressed elsewhere, so ignore the language barrier and go for it! Since its inception, the program has included classics of Uyghur culture as well as a number of European plays, notably Molière and Shakespeare.

The Lermontov Theatre was inaugurated in Almaty in 1933, but has borne the name of the famous Russian Romantic poet (Mikhail Lermontov, 1814-1841) only since 1964. It has always been the city's most popular theater, offering the great classics of the Russian theatrical repertoire, but was closed for a long time at the end of the 2000s for a well-deserved facelift. Since its reopening, performances have opened up to a more international repertoire.

Kazakhstan's first theater was founded in Kyzyl Orda in 1926, before moving to Almaty in 1929. It performs classic Kazakh works as well as a few new ones. Of course, everything is performed in Kazakh, but the shows are of high quality and it's still interesting, if you understand at least a few words, to see how a play is performed in Kazakhstan. A small two-room museum traces the history of this art form in Kazakhstan.

The national theater is the city's most dynamic, and also the one with the most interesting architecture. Classical repertoire, in Russian and Kazakh. Named after Kazakh poet and composer Abaï Kounanbaïouly (1845-1904). Born in the east of the country, he was educated in Semipalatinsk, where he learned all the classics of Russian literature and poetry. He is best known for his poems, moral speeches and translations of major Russian-language works. It was only natural that the Opera should be named after him in 1934.