«Queen of the Piano: How a Musician from Kazakhstan Received Recognition Abroad»

Dina Duisen Reflects on Her Artistic Journey and Celebrated Career in Music

She successfully performs at prestigious international venues in the UK, Scotland, Italy, China, USA, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, captivating more and more listeners with her talent. She is a laureate of international competitions and a Master of the Royal Academy of Music in London. Her recordings are available for sale on Amazon. Abroad, the artist is called the Kazakh Piano Queen, and in Kazakhstan, her homeland, people are very proud of her successes.

This article is a translation of the original work published in Russian in «Forbes Kazakhstan».

«Королева фортепиано: как музыкант из Казахстана получила признание за рубежом», author Marite Lyubinaite,  published on 27 December, 2023 in «Forbes Kazakhstan».

Dina Duisen received the title of ‘queen’ several years ago when a journalist referred to her as ‘the Kazakh Piano Queen’ in a review. The title has since become synonymous with her name. “Of course, I’m pleased with the title,» she admits, laughing.

Kazakhstan

Kazakh-British pianist Dina Duisen was born in Almaty into a musical family. Her father, Orynbay Duisen, is a dombra player and an honoured worker of Kazakhstan. Her mother, Saule Sagimbayeva, is a pianist, and she has two brothers who are violinists: Ordabek and Ilyas. Of course, music has always played a big role in her life. But this does not mean that the choice of future profession was predetermined. “I was only four years old when I told my parents that I wanted to play the piano and would pursue it. So, I chose the instrument,” recalls Dina.

Her parents, on the contrary, did not really want Dina and her brothers to follow in their footsteps. “Firstly, it’s hard work. Secondly, in our family, the rule is: if you decide to study music, it should be as a profession, not merely a hobby. But my brothers and I decided to follow a creative path ourselves, and our parents supported us. I know of cases where being the sole musician in a family can be very challenging: some eventually give up music, while others return to it years later as their primary focus.”

So, at the age of five, Dina and her brothers, Ordabek and Ilyas, both violinists, entered the Kulyash Baiseitova Specialized Music Boarding School for Gifted Children. “I still remember my feelings and thoughts to this day. Walking out onto the porch of the school, I thought: ‘That’s it, now I’m an adult because I’m studying at school.”

«However, I didn’t graduate from my beloved school as in 1998, my parents secured positions at the capital’s Kazakh National Academy of Music, prompting our family to move to Astana. There, I continued my studies at the same academy, known since 2009 as the Kazakh National University of Arts ‘Shabyt’, graduating with honours in 2005.

Dina admits that the move was not easy for her: “Everything was new: the city, the school, the teacher, and a completely different climate… I was still in transition. I remember I even dreamed that I returned to Almaty.”

But now, after so many years, Dina sees the move as a pivotal moment in her life. Thanks to a change of school and teacher, Dina began to play more often at concerts for foreign delegations, participate in competitions, and master classes of domestic and foreign classical music performers.

“At that time, there was no such rich concert activity at the Almaty music school. I only played a concert once with a symphony orchestra in the Central Concert Hall. This concert was actually my debut. In Astana, then the new capital, the opportunities were vastly greater. We performed somewhere almost every week. And for the first time I flew to the XXIX International Piano Competition in Senigallia, Italy, where I took third place,” recalls Dina.

USA

After graduating from the music academy, Dina entered Texas Christian University in Fort Worth on a full scholarship through the Artist Diploma programme, from which she graduated in 2008.

«The choice of university and the admission process seemed to fall into place naturally,» recalls the interviewee. My brother, who was already studying violin in Dallas, Texas, in the United States with Eduard Schmieder, advised me to try my hand at enrolling in a local university. I recorded a disc, as required for the admissions exam, and sent it without much expectation. By the way, this was the only university where I sent my work. The university awarded me a full scholarship for the three-year program, though I later found out the competition was intense.” Dina went without hesitation. She recalls that there were only five or six people in the course who spoke Russian, and she was the only student from Kazakhstan. “By the way,” Dina says, “I often hear people say, ‘Oh, you are the first Kazakh woman we know!’ And I always respond, ‘That’s right! You’ve met the best!’ (laughs).

Over the years of studying in America, Dina made many good acquaintances and loyal friends who still inspire her. Among them are prominent figures like Andrey Ponochevny, a representative of the Belarusian piano school and laureate of the international Tchaikovsky competition, as well as the esteemed musician, teacher, and mentor Sergei Babayan. Dina is very proud of her friendship with Sergei and his wife Margarita.

The pianist recalls that her search for professional guidance led her to meet Sergei Babayan. She hadn’t been specifically seeking him out, but one day, after reading an interview with him in a local newspaper, she felt a deep connection to his spirit and approach to music. Without hesitation, she sent a letter and a DVD of her performing Rachmaninov’s concerto with an orchestra to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where Babayan was teaching. “Two months later, I received a call: ‘Hello. This is Sergei Babayan. I watched your video. You are an accomplished artist. What did you want to talk to me about?’ We’ve been friends ever since, and he continues to be a huge influence on me as a musician. Finding the right teacher is crucial, and I’m a testament to that,» she emphasizes.

Then, in 2007, this acquaintance became a creative shake-up for Dina, in the most positive sense. She participated twice in the prestigious two-week courses at the Sergei Babayan Piano Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, an honor not bestowed upon every musician.

After graduating successfully, Dina received an invitation to teach music at Texas Wesleyan University. However, she declined the offer, having already secured a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London, one of Europe’s top ten institutions.

Great Britain

Dina recalls falling in love with London during her second visit for a festival in Oxford in 2006. “I didn’t want to leave. More than just staying in Britain’s capital, I aspired to learn from the best professionals in the field,” says the pianist. “By my third year studying in the USA, I had already reached out to the dean of the Royal Academy of Music, my future teacher, Christopher Elton.”

Dina received an invitation to apply to the academy in the usual manner. However, she also had an advance audition with the dean, a common practice involving a consultation lesson, during which he promised her a spot in his class contingent on her admission. Indeed, in September 2008, Dina commenced her Master of Performing Arts studies at the Royal Academy, graduating with honors in 2011. Her teachers were Christopher Elton, Hamish Milne and Katherine Stott. “Learning from such musicians is like winning the lottery,” the pianist emphasizes.

The academy treated her with immense respect, consistently supporting her initiatives and fostering her growth as a musician.

Despite the academy’s support, Dina faced challenges, particularly at the beginning. ‘Financially, it was tough,’ she recalls. ‘London is an expensive city. Though I had a scholarship covering my tuition, I needed to work to afford my housing.’ The issue found an unexpected resolution. At the academy, Dina met a student violinist who was looking for a pianist for rehearsals and joint performances. This collaboration created an income that allowed her to stably pay for her apartment rent. The creative partnership lasted two years, culminating when the violinist graduated from the academy and returned to her homeland, Japan. Afterwards, Dina began giving private piano lessons.

***

After completing her master’s degree in 2011, Dina chose to remain in England. She continued to give private piano lessons and, at the request of some college violin students, accompanied them because she knew their repertoire well. “I am devoted to the piano, but if I were to choose a second instrument, it would definitely be the cello,” says Dina. Around the same time, Dina received an offer from the management of the Royal College of Music to become a pianist-accompanist.

Dina was invited to join the academy’s faculty much later. One day she was asked to play at the entrance exams for string players as an accompanist, and two months later the dean of the string department of the academy offered her a job. “This was in 2020. I only started working full-time in November-December 2021, as the coronavirus pandemic had led to a lockdown just when I received the offer,» recalls Dina Duisen. «Now, I work at both the college and the academy, a rare exception for these institutions.” Dina’s responsibilities include rehearsals with string players of their repertoire, preparation for auditions and exams. She acknowledges her high expectations of students, matched only by her own rigorous self-standards. “I am constantly seeking growth and never stop; to cease progressing often means to degrade. I am drawn to people who are passionate about something—that always attracts me,” she emphasizes.

But Dina also tries to support and praise her students, because she herself knows how important this is for a creative person. “Last year Sergei Babayan played a Rachmaninov concerto and asked me to perform the orchestra part before his concert with the Liverpool Orchestra,” says the pianist. “Afterwards, he praised me for my performance, and I felt as if my wings just grew—it’s always rewarding to receive praise, especially from a mentor.”

In addition to teaching, Dina actively performs at concerts and plays with various musicians.

She works regularly with violinist Nicola Benedetti, as well as pianist Martin James Bartlett, Chris Richards, cellist Robert Cohen, and others.

Together with her brother Ordabek, she performs chamber music as part of the duo ‘Duisen’ in the UK, Italy, the USA, and Kazakhstan. “I’ve always been drawn to the genre of chamber music. My late, esteemed teacher, Vyacheslav Uzbekov, was especially pleased during our last meeting to learn that I collaborate with various violinists and cellists. He had somehow assumed that I would focus primarily on solo performance,» the pianist reflects.

Like any talented individual, Dina’s rich creative life is marked by significant events.

Naturally, one such event was her first solo concert at the age of 13. “I played Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 1 with a symphony orchestra in the Central Concert Hall in Almaty,» recalls the pianist. «The rehearsal, to put it mildly, did not go very smoothly. The conductor wanted a different tempo, I disagreed, and in a moment of frustration, I left the stage. Eventually, the situation was resolved, and we delivered a great concert. The audience warmly received us, offering prolonged applause and many flowers. That evening, my parents hosted a celebratory dinner at home,» she reminisces.

Another significant milestone was her participation in a major concert at one of Oxford’s oldest buildings in 2002. “I recall being anxious about how I, a girl from Kazakhstan, would be received. But in the end, after delivering a strong performance, I was met with overwhelming ovations and applause. That moment, I believe, is when I truly felt the public’s affection,» she notes.

It’s also noteworthy to mention Dina’s debut in the theatrical concert ‘Byron: Angel and Outcast,’ featuring renowned actors Simon Russell Beale and Rob Heaps, in October 2018. The production, centred around the brilliant English poet Lord Byron and his poems, was musically accompanied by Dina. Interestingly, the same concert was reprised a year later in Astana. “Working with originator Natalie Spear, director Richard Spear, producer Maya Ellis, lighting designer Geoff Hense, and the actors was an absolute pleasure,» says the pianist. «They are true professionals,» she adds, «and I’ve forged a friendship with Rob Heaps, with whom I’ve already held two joint ‘Music and Poetry’ concerts in London and Toronto.”

In addition, Dina released her solo debut album, Mazurkas from Chopin to Adès, which was recorded at Kings Place with Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Keener. In 2023, she spearheaded her own three-day festival, ‘Dina and Friends,’ dedicated to chamber music performances, which, notably, sold out.

“At the beginning of this year, she, along with violist Yoon-Kyung Shin, embarked on a concert tour of Venice and nearby cities, even recording a joint album. In 10 days, they changed hotels four times—the only downside of the trip! But Venice left her utterly fascinated,» admits Dina. The Kazakh-British pianist plans to continue her passion for playing concerts, teaching musicians, and harbours the definite dream of performing at Carnegie Hall in New York.

This article is a translation of the original work published in «Forbes Kazakhstan» .

Read original text:

«Королева фортепиано: как музыкант из Казахстана получила признание за рубежом», author Marite Lyubinaite,  published on 27 December, 2023 in «Forbes Kazakhstan».