Aisha Orazbayeva

Aisha Orazbayeva

Aisha Orazbayeva is a Kazakh violinist and composer based in London and the South of France. Born in 1985 in Kazakhstan, she is known for work in classical and contemporary music, with a particular focus on new music and reworkings of older repertoire.

Career and recordings

She releases three solo albums that range from her own compositions to music by Telemann and Salvatore Sciarrino. Her recordings of works by Giacinto Scelsi, Morton Feldman and John Cage receive critical attention. Her releases appear on SN Variations, Another Timbre, PRAH Recordings, Bigo and Twigetti, All That Dust and Nonclassical.

Performance work

Orazbayeva performs internationally, including at Carnegie Hall in New York, HAU2 in Berlin and SuperDeluxe in Tokyo. She also gives solo recitals for Radio France, BBC Radio 3, Reykjavik Arts Academy and Gagosian Gallery in London, where she appears as part of the Richard Serra exhibition.

Collaborations and ensembles

She regularly works with Lily Wittenburg, Hugo Glendinning, Tim Etchells, mezzo-soprano Lore Lixenberg, pianist Mark Knoop, 12 Ensemble and the Kazakh Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of the ensembles Plus-Minus and Apartment House.

Composition for film and television

With composer Adrian Corker, she co-writes music for the film The Have-Nots, directed by Florian Hoffmeister, and for the television series The Village on BBC and Tin Star on Sky Atlantic.