On 17 July, the ‘Vocal Poetry’ concert will take place in the US state of Pennsylvania, at which 22-year-old baritone Xavier Bates will perform a song cycle by the outstanding Turkmen composer Nury Halmamedov. This was reported by the news agency Orient.

Pianist Bahar Annadurdyeva — a laureate of the ‘Sounds of the Dutar’ Festival named after Nury Halmamedov — will accompany him on the piano. The concert is organised by the Keystone Music Academy with the support of its director, Andrei Lyubimtsev.

The programme also includes romances by Sergei Rachmaninoff. According to Xavier Bates, discovering Halmamedov’s work was a real revelation for him, and Bahar Annadurdyeva helped him prepare for the performance.

The pianist is actively promoting Turkmen classical music in the USA. She is currently working on organ arrangements of works by Nury Halmamedov, and previously presented the world premiere in Pennsylvania of Mamed Huseynov’s composition ‘Paraphrase’ based on themes from the opera ‘Solomon’.