MERGEN

akmaral MERGEN
is a Kazakh independent artist, composer, sound producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Almaty. Classically trained as a violinist from the age of six, she creates author-driven music for films and her own projects, working with Kazakh musical semantics, instruments and timbres across genres and forms - from electronic and ethno-influenced music to more cinematic, cross-classical writing. She graduated from the Kazakh National Conservatory, studied at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, and also pursued Information Technology at Satpayev University.

She first appeared as a singer-songwriter under the name Mergen, working in television and recording studios in Almaty and building her experience in sound and music production. Her releases include the debut album 13 (2009), the follow-up AYAN (2011), the collaborative compilation Qazaq Lounge (2013) reimagining Kazakh folk songs, the instrumental EP Mise en scène (2015), the album TYH (Night) (2017) dedicated to her grandfather, and the concept album Tales of Mergen (2020). In parallel, she worked as a sound engineer at Kazakhfilm studios and later headed the studios at Bilim Media Group, producing sound for animation, TV programmes and educational documentaries.

As a film composer, Akmaral made her feature debut in 2019 and in 2020 took part in Berlinale Talents. She mainly works on feature fiction and documentary films alongside short and animated projects. Her work includes such films as The Horse Thieves: Roads of Time, Qas (Qash), Abel, Crickets, It’s Your Turn, Gingerbread for Her Dad, We Live Here, Atomic Secrets (for The Guardian) and others. These and other films have been shown at festivals such as Busan IFF, Locarno FF, Tokyo IFF, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs and Shanghai IFF. Her score for Qas received the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Music in Kazakhstan and was nominated for Best Original Music at the 17th Asian Film Awards and Best Original Score at the Golden Panda Awards, and her recent work has also received a nomination at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA). She has also occasionally appeared on screen as an actress in short films.

Alongside her film work, Akmaral collaborates with visual artists, contemporary art spaces, independent theatre and educational initiatives. Recent projects include composing music and sound for the video installation Balqash Jyry, presented at the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art within the Artcom Platform project, and for a series of short films about Central Asian artists commissioned by Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture. She works as a mentor and lecturer, including for the BATYRLAB residency for young composers from Central Asia, and periodically gives masterclasses and talks on film scoring, sound and narrative. In parallel, she continues to develop personal projects and is currently preparing her next album, producing and engineering her own recordings.

MUSIC