Rüstem Nurkenov is an ethnomusicologist, researcher, and performer of traditional Kazakh music. His academic interests focus on the dombyra, the kuyi tradition, and the history and evolution of kuyis created between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries.

Alongside his scholarly work, Rüstem Nurkenov is a representative of the Arka shertpe tradition and a direct student of the renowned kuishi, writer, and researcher Talasbek Asemkulov. He is also a student of Zharkyn Shakarim and one of the performers and advocates of the three-stringed dombyra. Through his artistic and educational activities, he contributes to the preservation and development of this rare musical tradition in the contemporary cultural landscape