Kinan Azmeh ( ar, كنان العظمة, Kinān Azme, born June 10, 1976, in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

), is a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

player and composer of

contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial ...

. Performing with orchestras such as the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, the

Seattle Symphony The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchestra ...

, the

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (german: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestr ...

, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, or the Syrian Symphony Orchestra, he has played both as a soloist of classical works as well as of contemporary compositions.

Life and career

Born in Damascus, Syria in 1976, Azmeh began to play the clarinet at age six. Originally taking lessons on the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

, he switched to an even-handed instrument that left-handed players did not play too differently from right-handed players. Azmeh studied at the conservatory of music in Damascus. At the

University of Damascus The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

, he majored in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, at the same time pursuing his studies at the conservatory. Azmeh received his master's degree and graduate diploma in music from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1997, he was the first Arab musician to win the first prize in the Nicolai Rubinstein International Youth competition in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. Azmeh is based in

, where he received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 2013 at the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

with

Charles Neidich Charles Neidich (born 1953 in New York City) is an American classical clarinetist, composer, and conductor. Early career A native New Yorker of Russian and Greek descent, Charles Neidich began his clarinet studies with his father, Irving Neidich ...

. From there, he regularly traveled to Damascus, where he played in a Syrian chamber group and has given numerous concerts and workshops. These trips have ended, however, since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. In March 2017, Azmeh made international news, because he was unable to return to New York City for some time, following the issuance of

Executive Order 13769 Executive Order 13769, titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, labeled the "Muslim ban" by critics, or commonly referred to as the Trump travel ban, was an executive order by US President Donald Trump ...

by U.S. President Donald Trump. In 2022, clarinet maker Henri Selmer in Paris published a 160-page notebook for creative exercise and playing on their new clarinet type ''Muse,'' written in collaboration with Azmeh.

Ensembles and performances

In 1995, Azmeh joined the Damascus-based pop music band ''Kulna Sawa'' (Arabic for: ''All of us together''), founded by composer and songwriter

Iyad Rimawi Iyad Rimawi ( ar, أياد ريماوي; born 22 January 1973), is a Syrian music composer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known for his soundtracks for several TV series such as Nadam and Godfather. Early life and career Rimawi was ...

and other young Syrian musicians. They produced two albums and were quite successful in the Middle East. In 2003, Azmeh, singer

Dima Orsho Dima Orsho (; b. 1975, Damascus, Syria) is a Syrian soprano singer and composer. She studied first at the Damascus Higher Institute for Music, then at the Boston Conservatory. Since 2003, she has been a member of the Syrian Hewar ensemble, alo ...

oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...

player

Issam Rafea Issam Rafea, also written Essam Rafea (, born 1971 in Kuwait), is a Syrian musician, music director and composer, noted for his compositions and performances on the Arabic oud, as former director of the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Musi ...

and others started the Syrian world fusion band ''

Hewar Hewar ( ar, حوار "Dialogue") is a jazz fusion band from Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jum ...

'' (Arabic for ''dialogue''). On his website, Azmeh describes ''Hewar'' as "an attempt to transcend the barriers of cultural disparities and misconceptions, and establish a civilized communication which builds on what brings humans closer together rather than separates them."Hewar
, on Azmeh's personal website He claims that ''Hewar'''s music draws from a variety of influences, from both the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

and the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

. In addition, Azmeh plays with the New York City-based City Band and with the band Neolexica.Be Here Now - Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne Down San Francisco Way.
Sequenza, 16 August 2010. As a student at Juilliard, Azmeh co-founded Neolexica with pianist

Dinuk Wijeratne Dinuk Wijeratne (born 1978) is a conductor, composer and pianist, living and working in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His work ''Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems'' won both the 2016 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year and the 2016 East Co ...

. In 2009, Azmeh played at the ''Arabesque Festival'' at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Kinan Azmeh: A Syrian Frequent Flier With Clarinet in Hand.
NPR, 7 March 2009. He has also played with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, debuting a clarinet concerto written especially for him by Syrian composer Zaid Jabri at the opening of the

Damascus Opera House , native_name_lang = ar , image = Damascus Opera House.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption = Damascus Opera House at the Umayyad Square (2010) , alt = , image_map ...

. In addition, he performed and recorded with

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, as well as with

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

Silk Road Ensemble Silkroad, formerly the Silk Road Project, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization, initiated by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, promoting collaboration among artists and institutions, promoting multicultural artistic exchange, and studying the ebb and ...

that won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for the album ''Sing Me Home'' in 2017. Having performed frequently in Germany, for example in Hamburg's

Elbphilharmonie The Elbphilharmonie (; "Elbe Philharmonic Hall"), popularly nicknamed Elphi, is a concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany, on the Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe River. It is among the largest in the world. The new glassy con ...

, Azmeh is also a frequent guest and workshop mentor of the Morgenland Festival in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

, Germany. In 2019, he published his double CD "''Uneven Sky''", with Yo-Yo Ma as guest artist on cello and the

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) is a German broadcast orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra performs its concerts principally in the Philharmonie Berlin. The orchestra is administratively based at the ''Rundfunk Berlin-Branden ...

, presenting works by Syrian contemporary composers

Kareem Roustom Kareem Roustom () is a Syrian-American composer, music director, and university teacher, noted mainly for his compositions of contemporary classical music, film scores and his collaboration with pop music artists. Among other musical ensembles, ...

, Zaid Jabri, Dia Succari as well as his own compositions. This album was awarded the prestigious 2019 Klassik Opus Award in Germany. For the 2021 album ''Flow'', his compositions were arranged by Wolf Kerschek and recorded with the Hamburg-based

NDR bigband NDR may refer to: Computing * Non delivery report, a return email message to a sender indicating failed message delivery * Network Data Representation, an implementation of the OSI model presentation layer Science and technology * Negative diffe ...

. A review in the German jazz magazine ''Jazzthetik'' commented on the opening track: “Above all, Azmeh reveals the essence of his music in this prologue: It's not Arabia, not jazz, not classical, it's all of that - the elements flow into each other." In June 2022, the Morgenland Festival presented Azmeh’s composition ''Songs for Days to Come,'' his first production of a

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

. The songs and libretto are based on poems by contemporary Syrian poets, expressing the sufferings of the Syrian civil war. Sung in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

by Syrian soprano

and the Osnabrück opera choir, they are meant to express the melody of the Arabic language.

Discography

* ''Flow (2021)'' with the NDR Bigband * ''Uneven Sky'' (2019), with Yo-Yo Ma and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Opus Klassik Award in Germany *''Levant'' (2018), with

Eric Vloeimans Eric Vloeimans (; born 24 March 1963) is a Dutch musician, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Although he studied classical music as a child, he became interested in jazz at the Rotterdam Academy of Music. After graduating in 1988, he ...

and Jeroen van Vliet *''Orient & Occident'' (2012), with the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra *''Elastic City'' (2012), with the Kinan Azmeh Quartet *''Complex Stories, Simple Sounds'' (2009), with the Azmeh-Wijeratne Duo *Syrian Contemporary Chamber Music (2008), with the Damascus Festival Chamber Players *''Rigodon'' (2007), original sound track *''Musaique'' (2004), with Kulna Sawa (Syrian pop music band) *''Kulna Sawa'' (2001), with Kulna Sawa as member of Hewar (Syrian world music band) *''

'' (2005) *'' 9 Days of Solitude: The Damascus Session'' (2006) with guest artist Manfred Leuchter (accordion) *''Letters to a homeland'' (2012)

References

External links

Kinan Azmeh's official webpageDaily Star ArticleKinan Azmeh: ''Prayer – A Tribute to Edward Said''Kinan Azmeh at Morgenland Festival OsnabrückKinan Azmeh at AllMusicKinan Azmeh on discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azmeh, Kinan 1976 births Living people Syrian musicians Syrian clarinetists Syrian composers People from Damascus 21st-century clarinetists Syrian contemporary artists Al-Azma family

Life and career

Ensembles and performances

Discography

References

Further reading

External links