Kulyash Jasynqyzy Baiseitova (Kazakh: Күләш Жасынқызы Бәйсейітова, Küläş Jasynqyzy Bäiseiıtova; Russian: Куляш Жасымовна Байсеитова; birth name — Gulbakhram (Гульбахрам); 1912–1957) was a Soviet and Kazakh opera singer and actress. People's Artist of the USSR (1936).
Biography
Kulyash Baiseitova (maiden name Beisova) was born on 2 May (19 April) 1912 (according to other sources – 12 January) in the steppes of Sary-Arka, in the village Zhanaortalyk 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). She was born to a very simple family: mother Zibazhan, a washerwoman, father Zhasyn, a shoemaker. Her birth name was Gulbakhram; Kulya – her childhood nickname – gradually turned into the name Kulyash. Her parents were so broke that they could not feed two children. Therefore, Gulbakhram was sent to an orphanage even before school.
No matter how difficult it was for the parents, they decided to take the girl from the orphanage and send her to a boarding school. She was brought to Alma-Ata at the age of twelve, and for some time, she lived in a boarding school.
Path to art
Baiseitova's natural musical talent emerged early. She memorized and performed songs, zhyrys and kyssas, heard from father Zhasyn. Her father was a good singer when he was young and sang around the country. Kanabek Baiseitov, Kulyash's husband wrote about it in his book:
“His father Zhasyn was a great singer. He used to perform with the famous Aset and Baluan Sholak".
In her autobiography, Kulyash wrote:
“... When I was in school, I participated in a drama club. 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. Despite these false statements, I achieved my goal and entered the theatre, but only in 1933 I began to be nominated and began to play the main roles...."
Once, people came to the school from the Kyzyl-Orda Drama Theater, which was on tour in Alma-Ata. They were looking for children with perfect pitch and voice to participate in the performance. Thus, Kulyash first began performing on stage.
In 1925 her father left home, leaving his family. 13-year-old Kulyash cannot come to terms with the idea that she is fed, goes to school, and her family is starving at home. She decides to leave the boarding school and live at home; she went to school and received a scholarship(18 rubles). Over time, she decided that she needed to quit school and feed her family. She is arranged as an apprentice in an office and is trained to be a clerk. 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.
In 1930 she entered the studio of the Kazakh Drama Theater, which was created in the city of Kyzyl-Orda in 1926 and transferred to Alma-Ata in 1929 (now the Kazakh State Academic Drama Theater named after M.O. Auezov;). While studying acting and musical literacy, she played small episodic roles in the theatre and soon the main ones. 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 performed in both performances and concerts.
In 1933 she became a member of the troupe of the Musical Theater (now the Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater), where she performed until the end of her life. She studied singing in the educational studio of the theatre from K. A. Dianti and V. A. Smyslovskaya.
Since 1934 she has been a soloist of the Kazakh Musical Theater (now the Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater).
Political activity
In 1938 she became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR. She continued her deputy career until the end of her life. She was also a member of the State Prize Committee in 1940 and the Peacekeeping Committee in 1951. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1943. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR of the 1–3 convocations.
Death
In June 1957, Baiseitova went to a concert in Moscow. After the concert, complaining of headaches, the singer returned to the hotel. On the morning of 6 June, the maid found her lifeless body in the bathroom. Doctors later diagnosed intracerebral hemorrhage. Buried in Alma-Ata at the Central Cemetery.