AlmaU Dauysy (“Voice of AlmaU”) is an annual vocal competition for faculty and staff that AlmaU has held since 2010. It was founded as a Kazakh song contest and serves as a platform for preserving, performing and passing on intangible cultural heritage. The competition preserves national cultural heritage through the Kazakh song tradition and the Kazakh language.
The competition also supports local and regional cultural heritage. It is traditionally held in spring, ahead of Nauryz, a celebration shared across Central Asia and inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. One edition was dedicated to the Day of Kozy Korpesh and Bayan Sulu, inspired by the Kazakh folk epic, and the repertoire includes songs of other peoples of the region, such as “Uchkuduk” by the Uzbek band Yalla.
Over 16 years, AlmaU Dauysy has become a lasting university tradition in which staff of different backgrounds become active bearers of national, local and regional cultural heritage.
The full video recording of the AlmaU Dauysy competition is available on YouTube: Watch on YouTube