Kazhgaliyev did much to promote Kazakh national heritage - Nazarbayev

    President Nursultan Nazarbayev has sent a telegram of condolences to the family and friends of Kazakh conductor and dombrist Shamgon Kazhgaliyev on the occasion of his death at the age of 87, a presidential news release reports.
    “As one of the first professional conductors and dombrists, Shamgon Sagaddinovich has contributed greatly to the development of our culture. The Kurmangazy Kazakh State Orchestra has become internationally-acclaimed thanks to his efforts. Shamgon Kazhgaliyev did a lot to promote Kazakhstan's rich national heritage," the telegram reads.
    Nazarbayev added Shamgon Kazhgaliyev would live on in memory of the people, according to Kazinform.
    Born on June 15, 1927 in the Uyalykum Village in western Kazakhstan, the young Shamgon lost both his parents at an early age and grew up at a local orphanage. 
Shamgon excelled in music from a young age. He won his first serious dombra competition when he was10 years old.
He graduated from the Kurmangazy Kazakh Academy of Music in 1950 and the Grikurov Leningrad Conservatory in 1964.
Since 1953, Shamgon Kazhgaliyev has been the chief conductor of the Kurmangazy Kazakh State Orchestra, Kazinform reports.