Fri, 18 June 2021, 20:00
“I like to say that our music is inspired by a multitude of traditions without being limited by any of them. The four of us enjoy many musical identities and influences, and we simply play what we like to hear.” Fifteen years ago, acclaimed Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh started his genre-bending quartet CityBand while a student at New York’s Juilliard School. He has since made a name for himself as one of the most versatile musicians of his generation, at home in many styles and genres and appearing around the world as a soloist, improviser, and composer. In Berlin, he has been a regular guest at the Barenboim-Said Akademie’s Pierre Boulez Saal since the city’s new chamber music hall opened in March 2017. Now the Kinan Azmeh CityBand returns to the Frank Gehry–designed venue to celebrate its 15th anniversary, performing both recent and older songs in two shows on June 18 and 20. In the afternoons, the band will be joined by young Syrian singer Basheer Asli and students of the Akademie in Steps, a concert for children and adults that explores unexpected musical paths.
For tickets and more information, visit boulezsaal.de
Photo credits: Joanna Wizmur
