Nia Bowers
When Aktoty Ashtarova, the talented and extraordinary pianist, first appeared on stage, she was six years old. It was one of the recitals for parents at her native Kazakh National Academy of Music (Astana, Kazakhstan). Much has changed since then. But that childish sense of excitement about the stage has stayed with her forever.
Today, the outstanding pianist has won more than 20 prestigious international competitions around the world, performed at the legendary Carnegie Hall and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and received a personal scholarship from the Long Island Conservatory of Music (LISMA) in the United States.
Aktoty is a music ambassador and member of the exclusive Ambassadors Club Dubai in the UAE, an honorary member of the International Piano Professional Association in the US, and continues to hone her musical skills. We contacted the pianist to learn more about the secret to her success.
Aktoty, you have participated in the most prestigious and significant competitions for pianists around the world and have almost always won prizes. You are the first prize winner of the International Music Festival – Competition “Star at Tenerife” in Spain, third prize winner of the International Piano Competition in the UAE, second prize winner of the International Competition “Mozart’s Competition-Festival” in Georgia, third prize winner in the solo category and second prize winner in the concerto category at the XI International Competition-Festival “Music Without Borders,” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of M.K. Čiurlionis in Lithuania. The list of your victories does not end there. Tell us, why did you participate in so many competitions? Is it an end in itself or part of the learning process?
I am probably one of those musicians who like to compete. Since childhood, I have enjoyed being on stage and receiving the attention of the audience. Later, this grew into a desire to prove to myself that I could do even better. On the one hand, it inspires me. On the other, it feels like it drains me. Performers need to be ready for comparison, and sometimes that’s hard to take. I was about ten years old when I took part in an international competition in Germany. I was upset that I only got a participant’s diploma and didn’t win a prize. But then, as I worked on my mistakes, I realized that there were children aged nine to sixteen in my age category. Sixteen-year-olds perform a different program and have a different level of performance. So how can you compare them? But overall, I would like to emphasize that competitions are necessary in professional career of a musician. They discipline you, teach you to work on yourself, make you grow and understand where you are in your profession.
Aktoty, your musical career began quite early, at the age of five. What do you remember about your first performance on stage?
– I think it was one of the first recitals. It was a cozy evening for parents and friends, where we played our program before exams to gain experience performing on stage.
The concert took place in Astana, in the academic hall of the Kazakh National Academy, which was later renamed the Kazakh National University of Arts (Shabyt). Now I realize that the hall was medium-sized, but at the time it seemed huge. I was very young, only six years old. Together with my sister, who is two years older than me, we played a Spanish piece for four hands. I remember it because we were dressed in dresses that matched the theme.
The teacher approached the preparation very creatively, everything looked beautiful and tasteful. For us children, it was a real celebration!
– How did the performance go?
– I was very nervous, but I actually liked that feeling. I was happy that I would finally be on stage, showing myself, and my family would hear me.
– Who among your loved ones supported your decision to become a musician?
– My mother. She always supported me, worked with my teachers to find prestigious competitions for me to participate in, paid for all the expenses associated with participating, paid for lessons and master classes. She traveled with me to competitions.
I remember an incident from my childhood when my mother, sister, and I traveled to Italy for my first competition. It was the Rovere d’Oro, a fairly serious competition. I was very nervous. My mother saw how anxious I was, took me outside, and said, “Let’s shout!” I was surprised and wondered how to shout. My mother replied that I was very nervous and needed to let my emotions out. Of course, I was very embarrassed, but I listened to my mother anyway. We stood in the backyard of the concert hall where the competition was held and shouted together. At this competition, I was nominated for first prize. My mother is still my biggest fan to this day. I am very grateful to her.
– You were invited to be a member of the jury for the II International Instrumental Performance Competition “Kogans Competition” and the III Republican Instrumentalists Competition “Dialog of Cultures – 2025” in Astana. Please share the criteria you used to evaluate the contestants, what you paid attention to when making your assessment, and how you felt.
– Of course, I felt a great sense of responsibility and excitement. Sometimes it seemed as if I was playing along with the contestants.
When performing and giving marks, I always pay attention not only to the technical skill of the contestants, but also to how they tell a story through music. It is important not just to play the notes flawlessly, but to let each “phrase” pass through you, to feel each note and bring each piece to life. That is why we see such a diverse program at competitions. Some brilliantly reveal the romance of a piece, some filigree convey polyphony, and some masterfully emphasize technicality. All of this together creates a multifaceted picture of musical performance.
At the Dialog of Cultures 2025 competition, there was an amazingly technical pianist. Her performance was perfectly calibrated. But it seemed to lack soul. It’s like reading a book without emotion, without understanding the text. Playing should definitely be moving.
– Aktoty, thank you for your time and we wish you further creative success!
– Thank you!