May 08th, 2018

Art of the Duo with Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne  |  18 May 2018  |  8:00 pm  |  St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

It’s hard to believe that the last concert of the 2017-2018 season is here already!   This concert will feature the clarinet, played by Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne on piano.  Hailed as a “Virtuoso” and “Intensely Soulful” by the New York Times and “Spellbinding” by the New Yorker, and “Incredibly Rich Sound” by the CBC.  His utterly distinctive sound across different musical genres has gained him international recognition as clarinetist and composer.

Born in Damascus, Syria in 1976, Azmeh began to play the clarinet at age six. Azmeh studied at the Arab conservatory of music in Damascus. Azmeh received his master's degree and graduate diploma in music from the Juilliard School in New York City. In 1997, Azmeh was the first Arab musician to win first prize in the Nicolay Rubinstein International Youth competition in Moscow, Russia.

In 2009, Azmeh played at the Arabesque Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He has also played with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, debuting a clarinet concerto written especially for him by Zaid Jabri at the opening of the Damascus Opera House. In addition, he has played with Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Azmeh is currently based in New York City, where he is pursuing his Ph.D. at the City University of New York with Charles Neidich. He regularly travels to Damascus, where he plays in a Syrian chamber group and gives concerts and workshops. These trips have since ended since the beginning of the Syrian Revolution.

Azmeh is a complex man whose background is comprised of widely divergent facets.  Check out his biography on his webpage http://kinanazmeh.com/bio/.  Also you can view videos from various performances in the Video Gallery at http://kinanazmeh.com/videos/ .   Join us for a fabulous evening of entertainment at St. Luke's Episcopal Churrch on Friday, 18 May 2018 at 8:00 p.m.