On November 23, the music community and the Jewish community of Almaty paid tribute to the honored artist of the Kazakh SSR, Professor Iosif Kogan. Iosif Benediktovich had been working for thirty in the conservatory. Therefore, the memorial event dedicated to the 90th anniversary from his birthday was held in the conservatory. It was organized by students, colleagues, and members of the Jewish community. The Kogan’s family arrived in Almaty in 1942 during the evacuation but when the war ended they did not go back to their native Kishinev. The great musicians - brothers Joseph and Simon, sister Eva have contributed enormously to the cultural development of Kazakhstan.

In the crowded hall of the Conservatory people could watch a black-and-white movie showing how the maestro was masterfully performing "Adai" on violin accompanied by his brother Pianist Simon Kogan.

Musician Elena Shalkova (daughter of Iosif Benediktovich) said that young Kogan performed at his first concert when he was seven years old in his hometown of Kishinev. Later he studied with Professor I. Finkel, graduated from the Kishinev Conservatory with a diploma with honors, and received a bachelor’s degree. At that time, to obtain a bachelor's degree it was required to know ancient Greek, Latin, German, Italian and French in addition to professional disciplines.

He came to Alma-Ata during the evacuation in 1942. Here, Iosif with his brother were examined by a famous composer Ahmet Zhubanov and were immediately enrolled into the Kazakh Philharmonic Organization. Iosif Kogan had an amazing musical memory; he could instantly play any musical piece. He was the first in Alma-Ata to perform music of Sibelius, Ernst, Gershvin, Soviet composers Khrennikov, Khachaturian, Shostakovich, Shchedrin. He is the author of more than thirty methodical works. Iosif Benediktovich raised more than a hundred talented students during his teaching career in the conservatory. He created and headed the University of Music Culture for a wide range of the music audience.

Professor Balym Kozhamkulova, who worked for twenty years with Iosif Kogan, shared her memories, "I was always amazed how he had time for a lot of things - he lectured on the history of bow arts and wrote research papers, played solo concerts in the Philharmonic Society. When I was preparing myself for solo concerts I always asked him to listen to me. And I must say that, no matter how busy he was, he never rejected people’s requests. Iosif Kogan was a tireless promoter of Kazakh music and it deserves a special attention. He learned to play dombra from the famous Dina Nurpeisova. He was the first to perform the works of the first Kazakh composers Tulebaev, Zhubanovs, Hamidi, Brusilovsky, Novikov. He made his own treatment of Kurmangazy "Sary-Arka" and "Baltyra", and of Dauletkirey. This is very complicated music, as the Paganini Caprices, and requires virtuoso skills. He created student’s books using his own etudes so that younger students and children, who came from Kazakh villages, could learn by playing their national music. We are grateful to the Kogan’s family - Joseph, Simon, and Eve for their great contribution to the development of Kazakh national culture".

We are particularly glad that the memory of this outstanding musician is retained by a wide audience of people dedicated to music. The Jewish community is proud of the talented Kogan’s family.

Ludmila Starodubova