Students of the master instrumentalist, singer, and entertainer, Zainidin Imanaliev playing traditional Kyrgyz music.

Kyrgyz music is rooted in the sensibility of nomads who inhabit a spectacular landscape of mountains, lakes, and pristine grasslands where the elemental energies of wind, water, and echo, the ubiquity of birds and animals, and the legendary feats of heroes have inspired a remarkable art and technology of sound-making.

The Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) - a music and arts education programme - supports talented musicians (like these) and music educators working to preserve, transmit, and further develop their musical heritage in contemporary forms.