Today marks the 95th birthday of Bibigul Akhmetkyzy Tulegenova, a legendary opera singer with a voice that has captivated millions. She holds the title of “Hero of Socialist Labor,” is a People’s Artist of the USSR and the Kazakh SSR, and is a celebrated cultural icon, reports Adyrna.
Born in 1929 in Semey, Tulegenova graduated from the Almaty State Conservatory (now Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory). Her artistic journey began in amateur performance groups and later blossomed into collaborations with some of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Osipov Russian National Academic Folk Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Grand Symphony Orchestra, and the Prince of Wales Chamber Orchestra in the UK.
On December 21, 1991, the President of the USSR awarded her the Lenin Order and the “Hammer and Sickle” medal, alongside the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, for her immense contributions to music. She has also been a recipient of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and twice of the Lenin Order. Over her 70-year career, Tulegenova performed hundreds of operatic roles and appeared in iconic films such as The Steppe Girl, Our Beloved Doctor, It Happened in Shugyla, and The Angel in a Skullcap.
