Saga of Musician Onalbayeva
Sojourn from Kazakhstan
to the United States

     "How are music and worship different in the United States from a place like Kazakhstan?" people will ask. This woman ought to know. She is Kadisha Onalbayeva, a musician trained in the former Soviet Union and now soon to be a new citizen of the United States. At the August 11 "Men's 710" Miss Kadisha will discuss her experiences in coming to the U.S. to pursue a graduate degree in composition and piano performance, her experiences with Hurricane Katrina with its evacuation and relocation, her anticipation of starting a career as music teacher, pianist, and composer, and she may even play some pieces on the piano.

     Accomplished musician Kadisha Onalbayeva discussed her musical sojourn which began in Kazakhstan and has brought her to the United States. - Click to enlarge.

     Kadisha Onalbayeva was born in Kazakhstan and began her musical training at the age of five. She attended the Jubanov Special School for Talented Children in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for 12 years. While at Jubanov she studied piano and composition, gave piano recitals, and was involved in piano composition festivals and competitions. Her awards as a young musician are impressive, including first prize in the Soviet Union’s “New Talent” competition, and recognition in national and Central Asia piano competitions. Would you believe she has also participated in international music festivals in Yalta, Germany, Russia, and Uzbekistan?

     Doctoral student Kadisha Onalbayeva (at podium) spoke to the August meeting of "Men's 710" at Zion Lutheran Church. She discussed her upbringing in the former Soviet Union, her experiences as a young musician in a myriad of countries, and her encounter with Hurricane Katrina as a student in New Orleans. Onalbayeva lives in Pensacola with husband Dr. Michael Coleman. She is currently completing her dissertation prior to receiving her doctorate at Louisiana State University.

     So, she graduates from the Jubanov School and enters the Kurmangazy National Conservatory of Music. While at the conservatory she studies piano, composition, accompanying, chamber music, and pedagogy. Kadisha is awarded the “President’s Award for Young Artists” and Chevron’s “Award for Talented Students” in piano and composition. She continues her career with solo recitals, concerto performances, chamber recitals, composition performances and teaching. Kadisha begins participating in performance seminars, workshops, and master classes, studying with important piano teachers, Ludmila Lapan, Asuly Dosaeva, Tatiana Sulemenova, Guljamila Kadirbekova, Klara Gospadar, Vladimir Sevidov, Vladimir Krienev, and Carroll Constance.

     Mrs. Onalbayeva continued her activities as performer, composer, and teacher following her graduation from the conservatory, receiving a Soros Prize for her work in development of international cultural exchanges. And that gets us to the United States. This award paid for her first visit to America in January 2000. That visit brought her to New Orleans to participate in the International Jazz Conference. Then in August 2003 she came to study with Jerry Sieg, earning her M.M. in Composition from the University of New Orleans in May 2005. After completing her M.M. in piano performance at U.N.O. in 2006 with Mary Ann Bulla, she commenced working on her doctorate in piano performance at Louisiana State University under Michael Gurt. She plans to complete her doctorate in the fall of 2009.

     Throughout her career, she has been a strong supporter of new music. She has continued performances of her music and has participated in international new music festivals as composer, performer, and organizer throughout Central Asia, Austria, England, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tatarstan. While in America she has participated in new music activities in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. She has been particularly interested in introducing the music of Kazakhstan in the U.S. and is a member of Kazakhstan Composers Union. Mrs. Onalbayeva recently won the Southeastern Composers League (USA) graduate composition for her solo cello work, “Think-Know-After." She is currently a member of the national, state, local branches of the Music Teachers Association.

     If that isn't enough, for the past several years, she has been the pianist, organist, and music director for the First United Methodist Church in Plaquemine, Louisiana. Miss Kadisha also enjoys strong family support from her daughter Malika and her husband Dr. Michael Coleman, a son of Fairhope who teaches on the college level in Pensacola.