Kulyash Jasynqyzy Baiseitova[a] (born Gülbahram,[b] 1912 – 1957) was a Soviet and Kazakh opera singer and actress.

[1] Kulyash Baiseitova (maiden name Beisova) was born on 2 May (19 April) 1912 (according to other sources – 12 January)[2] in the steppes of Sary-Arka, in the village Zhanaortalik [kk] of the Karkaraly district of the Semipalatinsk Oblast (now in the Aktogay district of the Karaganda Region of Kazakhstan (According to official data in the city of Verny (now Almaty).

Kanabek Baiseitov, Kulyash's husband wrote about it in his book: “His father Zhasyn was a great singer.

When the Kazdramteater moved to Alma-Ata in 1929, I wanted to enter this theatre, but some comrades spread rumours that my father was a rich man and that I should be expelled from the Komsomol.

[3] At the same time in 1925–1928, she studied at the Almaty Pedagogical College of the Institute of Education (Russian: Института просвещения), actively participated in amateur music performances, and she began to achieve success in the theater.

At that time, the theatrical evening consisted of small plays in the first section and concerts with the participation of singers, instrumentalists, dancers from among the theatre artists in the second.

Kulyash, who originally appeared in productions on crowd scenes with small minor roles, in a year or two showed her artistic skills and took her place among the outstanding actors of the theatre.

Trained as an actor and musician, she played small episodic roles in the theatre and soon became the main actress.

[10] For the first time on the Kazakh opera stage, K. Baiseitova performed the classical repertoire: Tatiana, Tamara, Cio-Cio-San.

The image of Shuga ("Shuga" by Mailin and Kotsyk) is the evidence of growing singer's skill; the role of Zhibek ("Kyz Zhibek" by Yevgeniy Brusilovskiy) enables the singer to reach the heights of classic opera, creating a whole gallery of characters.

Kulyash's amazing talent made it possible to combine the traditions of the Russian vocal school and the national features of singing in organic synthesis.

The republic learned a new name – Kulyash, and the people, ahead of official recognition, gave her their "title" – the Kazakh Nightingale!

Thanks to that very character – an unsurpassable Kyz-Zhibek – Kulyash conquered Moscow during the days of the Decade of Kazakh Art in 1936.

Composer Brusilovsky wrote in his memoirs how once the three of them – Kulyash, her husband Kanabek Baiseitov and he in a cart loaded with hay – were returning from the village where they gave a concert.

People's memories to this day retain unforgettable images of Kyz-Zhibek, Khadisha, Akzhunus, Azhar and Sary, created by Kulyash.

Through Kulyash, Kazakh people became acquainted with classic opera heroines for the first time and grew to love them.

As contemporaries recalled, it was impossible to listen to the aria "Maro's Lament" over the body of her beloved in the last act without emotional trembling.

This lament, like Chopin's funeral march, became for many years a symbol of farewell to a man who had left his mark on the history of the republic.

And Georgian colleagues, having heard about the success of Daisi in Kazakhstan, invited Kulyash to take part in the performance staged in Tbilisi, the motherland of this opera.

"Strange and eerie state experienced, perhaps, not one of me, when the civil funeral service in the theatre at the last send-off Kuliash sounded "Crying Maro".

It seemed that Kuliash's big expressive portrait comes to life, and it was as if she was about to make corrections in her performance of "The Crying Maro".

[9] In the opera Eugene Onegin, Kulyash-Tatiana wrote the letter in bed, turning away from the orchestra and the audience.

Nowadays the works based on the archival records of the State Central Archives of Cinema and Photo Documents of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Kazakh Radio are widely known, which give an idea of the multifaceted talent of Kulyash – as a performer of dramatic plays (music of L. Khamidi to the play "Jambul"), operas – Kazakh (E. Brusilovsky "Kyz-Zhibek", "Er-Targyn", "Zhalbyr", A. Zhubanov and others).

She performs folk songs (the Kazakh "Yeligai", "Shili Ozen", the Russian "Kolokolchik", the Polish "She was a maiden", the Czech "Pastushok", the Armenian "Swallow"), as well as works by Kazakh composers, written especially for Kulyash (E. Brusilovsky "Rokhtar kosher", A. Rubanov and B. Savinstein).

To preserve the heritage of Kulyash Baiseitova, discs with all the recordings of the singer, restored and digitized, were released.

In the singer's homeland, in Karaganda, which brought together the giants of the opera stage from Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, raised the bar to the international level.

It was attended by Kazakh performers, including the People's Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Laureate of the Republican Competition named after K. Baiseitova Nurzhamal Usenbaeva [kk], Dina Khamzina, Medet Chotabaev, Zhupar Gabdullina, and others, as well as Viktor Aleshkov from Russia and Ilah Efendiev from Azerbaijan.

The festival program was conducted by the Honored Art Worker of Kazakhstan, musicologist Yuri Aravin [kk].

[14] At the beginning of 2013, in Uralsk(Oral) and Moscow, a series of famous producer and TV presenter Bayan Yessentaeva was shot.