Kinan Azmeh

Kinan Azmeh has been hailed as a “virtuoso” and “intensely soulful” by the New York Times and “spellbinding” by the New Yorker. His utterly distinctive sound across different musical genres has gained him international recognition as a clarinetist and composer. Azmeh tours the world as soloist, composer, and improviser. Notable appearances include: New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, and the UN’s General Assembly, New York; Opera Bastille, Paris; Tchaikovsky Grand Hall, Moscow; the Royal Albert Hall, London; Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires; the Philharmonie, Berlin; and the Damascus Opera House for its opening concert in his native Syria. He has shared the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, Marcel Khalife, Aynur, Daniel Barenboim, and Jivan Gasparian. He serves as artistic director of the Damascus Festival Chamber Players, a pan-Arab ensemble dedicated to contemporary music from the Arab world. He is also a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble with whom he was awarded a Grammy in 2017. Azmeh is a graduate of New York’s Juilliard School and recently earned his doctorate in Music from the City University of New York.

www.kinanazmeh.com