From July 2 to August 31, Astana Opera theatre director Yerenbak Toykenov will take part in the Vienna Opera Festival, one of the world’s leading international opera events.

The Kazakhstani director will contribute to the productions of Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.

According to Jesús León, Director of the Vienna Opera Academy, only four directors from around the globe were selected to participate in this prestigious festival. Among them is Yerenbak Toykenov, who has been invited to serve as assistant director to renowned opera director Tim Claydon.

Toykenov is known for staging both national and international repertoire. His invitation to the Vienna Opera Festival follows his victory at the international opera directing competition Nano-Opera held in Moscow in 2022, where he was selected from over 200 directors worldwide.

As a result of his success at Nano-Opera, Toykenov was awarded the opportunity to stage the Kazakh national opera Aisulu by Sydyk Mukhamedzhanov at Astana Opera. The production received critical acclaim and was named "Opera of the Year" by an independent expert jury.

 

Press Service of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan