On April 3, the Akmola Regional Philharmonic named after Ükili Ybyrai hosted a musical evening in the format of a “musical café” titled «Pen and Lyre».

This format allowed the audience to immerse themselves in a cozy and relaxed atmosphere, where two forms of art—music and literature—blended harmoniously. During the evening, the chamber orchestra and choir, accompanied by concertmasters Yaromir Bevzovoy, Olga Gergel, Natalia Gritsaeva, and Zakhar Pshenichny, presented lyrical works by prominent representatives of Kazakh and world literature.

The program featured “Мәдениет саласының үздігі” Valeria Bolieva, international competition laureate Batyrzhan Smakov, as well as republican competition laureates Alla Besh, Ayakoz Kalmaganbetova, Serikbolsyn Bekmoldin, and Amangali Zhumatayev.

The concert program included works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Strauss, Edvard Grieg, Boris Pasternak, Bulat Okudzhava, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Yuri Falik, Abai Kunanbayev, Mikhail Lermontov, and Gaziza Zhubanova.

A special highlight of the evening was the performance by “Мәдениет саласының үздігі” Zhumabike Omarova, who captivated the audience with her violin rendition of E. Akobyan’s romance *“1805,”* earning warm applause.