HasSak Ethno-Folk Ensemble

Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.

Formed in 2013 in Almaty by PhD and Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Zhamenkeyev, HASSAK is one of Kazakhstan’s premier contemporary ethno-folklore groups. The ensemble features four highly skilled multi-instrumentalists—Yerzhan Zhamenkeyev, Darkhan Alimgazy, Askat Sagat, and Aray Kanatbek—who master over 30 traditional Kazakh instruments, including the dombyra, zhetygen, sybyzgy, and kyl-qobyz.

Known for bridging ancient Nomadic musical heritage with dynamic, modern arrangements, HASSAK won the Grand Prix at the international World Folk Vision competition in 2019. The group has released three studio albums, with a fourth currently in production, and has performed extensively across Kazakhstan and internationally in countries such as Germany, Austria, Turkey, China, South Korea, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

HasSak is currently participating in Heritage in Motion, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the nonprofit organization Music Unbound. The project provides professional development and networking opportunities to culture bearers and intangible cultural heritage practitioners in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tucson, Arizona, leading up to a program at the 2027 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Experience the Sound of the Great Steppe! This performance aligns with the celebration of 35 years of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the United States and the 250th anniversary of American independence.