Kinan Azmeh Performs Azmeh

Clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh has built a career defying musical borders, moving fluidly between classical, jazz, and improvisational traditions. His compositions are deeply personal, capturing the places and experiences that have shaped him.

Café Damas, written for violin, cello, and double bass, was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and evokes the energy of a long-gone 1950s café in Damascus. In the Element (run, rain, grounded), for clarinet and string quartet, was commissioned by the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in New Hampshire, a place Azmeh has returned to regularly for decades since his time there as a teenager.

Performing with OSL chamber musicians, Azmeh brings his works to life, showcasing his distinctive voice—one shaped by diverse traditions and a deep connection to the places that have left their mark on him.