At the end of April 2018, a few days before her 98th birthday, the legend of the Turkmen national culture, Maya (Mamajan) Kuliyeva, passed away. She lived a long and wonderful life, filled with creative inspiration, love for life, people and such high recognition of her musical, artistic, dramatic and other talents, which even the most outstanding personalities rarely receive.
Born on May 1, 1920, the girl grew up in an orphanage and first entered a pedagogical school, where she began to engage in amateur performances. Her talent was noticed and recommended for study at the national department of the Moscow Conservatory. She studied there from 1938 to 1941 together with the future famous composers Velimukhamed Mukhatov, Ashir Kuliev and conductor Khydyr Allanurov. Having started her career as an artist of the second category of the Turkmen State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Makhtumkuli, Maya Kulieva made a dizzying career. Already in 1943 she was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of Turkmenistan", in 1952 - "People's Artist of Turkmenistan", in 1955 - the honorary title "People's Artist of the USSR".
Maya Kulieva shone not only on the Turkmen opera stage, creating many beautiful images and earning the respect and honor of her people, but also performed at the Bolshoi Theater and popularized the Turkmen song and music art in many countries, having made a world tour. She performed Russian classics and became famous as the world's first Turkmen performer of the European opera repertoire. In addition to engagements in the opera, she performed at concerts throughout the USSR and starred in several films.
The Turkmen opera singer was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, the Order of the Badge of Honor, and in her homeland she was awarded the anniversary medals “Türkmenistanyň Garaşsyzlygyň 20 ýyllygyna”, “Garaşsyz, Baky Bitarap Türkmenistan”, “Türkmenistanyň 2 Garaş ýyllygyna" and the medal "Magtymguly Pyragy". For particularly outstanding services to an independent, permanently neutral state and the Turkmen people, a great personal contribution to the development of national culture and art, great creative success, a great job in educating the young generation, Maya Kuliyeva was awarded the high title "Hero of Turkmenistan" with the gold medal "Altyn Ay".
In March 2019, by the Decree of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, the name of the People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Turkmenistan Mai Kulieva was given to the Turkmen National Conservatory. In the same year, a museum of the famous singer was created here, where you can get acquainted with her creative biography, see numerous awards, shots from films in which she starred, photographs from performances at various concert venues, stage costumes and national clothes. The bust of Maya Kulieva, made by the famous Turkmen sculptor Saragt Babayev, takes pride of place in the museum.
The museum at the Turkmen National Conservatory serves as a venue for various educational and musical events dedicated to memorable dates associated with the life and work of Mai Kuliyeva. Students of music schools, representatives of youth and creative organizations and everyone who would like to learn more about one of the brightest personalities of the national culture, who is the glory and pride of the Turkmen people, come here for an excursion.
