Today, the Spotlight shines on clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh.

Earlier this year, Kinan released Live in Berlin, his fourteenth album with his CityBand quartet. The album captures music he wrote during Syria's 2011 uprising—pieces that carry the weight of watching your homeland torn apart from thousands of miles away. Born in Damascus and now based in Brooklyn, Kinan has spent decades crossing the world with his clarinet, performing with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, the New York Philharmonic, and countless others.

What makes this release particularly powerful is its timing. As Syrians celebrate newfound freedom after years of struggle, Kinan's music—born from grief and anger—now carries notes of hope. We spoke about these deeply personal compositions and how his twenty-year collaboration with CityBand has evolved into music that encompasses classical, jazz, and Arabic influences.

A technical note: Kinan joined me from Beirut, Lebanon, and although I couldn’t tell while we were recording, I later discovered that our internet connection was not always stable. There are some dropouts and garbles in this episode that we have done our best to clean up; however, even with those, we thought this conversation was worth sharing with you. I know you will agree.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from the album Live in Berlin by Kinan Azmeh and CityBand)

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Dig Deeper

• Artist and Album:

Visit Kinan Azmeh at kinanazmeh.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Purchase Kinan Azmeh and CityBand’s Live in Berlin from Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice
Kinan Azmeh: Berlin and Beyond

• Dig into this episode's complete show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com

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Kinan Azmeh: Live in Berlin, Rooted in Damascus