Yakov Fudiman and Kazakhstan’s school of viola playing

In August 1958, violist Yakov Fudiman arrived in Alma-Ata to teach at the Kurmangazy Conservatory. Before that, he had studied and performed in Sverdlovsk. He initially studied the violin, then chose the viola. Fudiman taught in Kazakhstan for almost half a century. His students worked in the country’s orchestras and music schools. Nurlan Sagimbayev, who studied with Fudiman, describes this in the collection History. Memory. People. 1

The viola at the conservatory

Fudiman taught viola and performed as a soloist. Sagimbayev notes that viola had been taught in Alma-Ata before, but Fudiman’s arrival gave the discipline new impetus. In December 1958, the musician gave a solo recital with pianist Emil Rosman. He later introduced the city’s audiences to works that had not previously been performed there. 1

His work extended beyond a single class. In 1960, Fudiman founded the conservatory’s chamber orchestra; from 1971 to 1980, he headed the string instruments department; and for several years he taught alto kobyz. Sagimbayev’s article lists students who subsequently worked in Kazakhstan, Israel and other countries. 1

Students carry on the tradition

Yakov Fudiman died in 2007. Reporting on a concert in his memory at the conservatory, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information calls him the founder of Kazakhstan’s school of viola playing and writes of more than 150 students. Such concerts bring together former students and musicians who continue his work. 1 2