Winner of Germany’s OpusKlassik award in 2019, clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh has been hailed as “intensely soulful” and a “virtuoso” by The New York Times, earning international recognition for what the CBC has called his “incredibly rich sound” and distinctive compositional voice across diverse musical genres.

Originally from Damascus, Syria, Mr. Azmeh has appeared as soloist, composer, and improvisor at venues all over the world, including the Damascus Opera House’s inaugural concert in 2004.

Orchestral appearances include the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Dusseldorf Symphony, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Qatar Philharmonic, and Syrian Symphony Orchestra, sharing the stage with such musical luminaries as Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Marcel Khalife, John McLaughlin, Francois Rabbath, Aynur, and Jivan Gasparian.

His compositions include solo, chamber, and orchestral pieces, as well as music for film, live illustration, and electronics. Recent commissions have come from the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, The Knights, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Elb philharmonie, Apple Hill String Quartet, Quatuor Voce, Brooklyn Rider, Cello Octet Amsterdam, Aizuri Quartet, and Bob Wilson.

An advocate for new music, he has had several concertos dedicated to him by composers including Kareem Roustom, Dia Succari, Dinuk Wijeratne, Zaid Jabri, Saad Haddad, and Guss Janssen.
Mr. Azmeh’s first opera, Songs for Days to Come premiered in Osnabruck, Germany, in June 2022.