logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
1 h

The Clarinet in Arabic Music | Kinan Azm...

AFIKRA
About this episode

Kinan performed three musical pieces and spoke about his work as a composer.

Originally from Damascus, Syria Kinan Azmeh is a soloist, composer, and improvisor. He has performed in places such as the Opera Bastille, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Damascus Opera House, and more. Kinan’s compositions include several works for solo, chamber, and orchestral music, as well as music for film, live illustration, and electronics. His resent works were commissioned by The New York Philharmonic, The Seattle Symphony, The Knights Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Elbphilharmonie, etc. He has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Dusseldorf Symphony, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the Qatar Philharmonic and the Syrian Symphony Orchestra among others, and has shared the stage with such musical luminaries as Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Marcel Khalife, John McLaughlin, Francois Rabbath Aynur and Jivan Gasparian. Kinan Azmeh is a graduate of New York’s Juilliard School as a student of Charles Neidich, and of both the Damascus High institute of Music where he studied with Shukry Sahwki, Nicolay Viovanof and Anatoly Moratof, and Damascus University’s School of Electrical Engineering. Kinan earned his doctorate degree in music from the City University of New York in 2013.

 

Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra 

Edited by: Ramzi Ramman

Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/

About Quartertones:

QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musicians of and from the Arab world. This series is similar to NPR’s All Songs Considered that is focused on the Arab world. afikra will be inviting musicians of all genres, as well as music historians, to help better understand the music that they perform or study. In this series, the guests will be invited to talk about their work and play their music, whether live or recorded, in three segments. The series will host current musicians who play contemporary and modern, including alternative scene or hip-hop, electronic, classical music, among other genres. The musicians will also be from different geographies.

Join the live audience: https://www.afikra.com/rsvp   

Follow

Youtube - Instagram (@afikra_) - Facebook - Twitter 

Support 

www.afikra.com/support

About afikra:‎

afikra is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region- past, present, and future - through conversations driven by curiosity. 
Read more about us on  afikra.com

Hosted by: 
Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb

FOLLOW & RATE THE AFIKRA PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/lb/podcast/the-afikra-podcast/id1529437743
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5nafoF1Zs7F48mGZjlhrze
» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014643869

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK 
Explore all episodes in this series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5xaTkBDrUKLCulvoCE8ubX&feature=shared

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts
⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra

Up next
Sep 29
Yemen as the Global Home of Coffee | Nancy Um
We challenge contemporary perceptions of Yemen as a "backwater" by revealing the pivotal role of its port city, Mocha, in the making of our modern world. Historian Nancy Um delves into the fascinating history of coffee, from its origins in 15th-century Yemen to its global spread ... Show More
55m 37s
Sep 22
Orientalism & Edward Said | Professor Nubar Hovsepian
Author of "Edward Said: The Politics of an Oppositional Intellectual," professor Nubar Hovsepian joins us to delve into the nuanced legacy of Edward Said, exploring common misunderstandings of his work, the reception of "Orientalism" within academia, and Said's vision of the "opp ... Show More
1 h
Sep 15
Sustainability in Qatar & the GCC: Environmental Challenges & Opportunities
The author of "Sustainable Qatar: Social, Political and Environmental Perspectives" delves into the multifaceted meaning of sustainability, especially within the context of the Arabian Peninsula. Our guest unpacks the region's unique environmental challenges, including sea level ... Show More
56m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Clarissa Bitar & Sofiane Saidi at Habibi Festival 2023 | Quartertones Live at Joe's Pub
We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC.Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on sta ... Show More
1h 2m
Jan 2024
Omar Offendum & Hadi Eldebek at Habibi Fest 2023 | Quartertones Live at Joe's Pub
We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC. Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on st ... Show More
26m 25s
Sep 2023
Producing for Arab Pop Stars: Metrics & Mental Health | Sleiman Damien
With a vast discography featuring both emerging artists and some of the biggest names in Arabic music, Sleiman Damien is completely tapped into the region’s pop genre. We asked him what he thinks of the phrase “Arab pop fusion”, which metrics actually matter to him, and why he th ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2024
Arabic Music in the Age of Digital Distribution | Ghaliaa
On this episode of Quartertones, up-and-coming musician Ghaliaa discusses her love for music, career to date, and finding inspiration in non-fiction. She talks about her childhood, how she came to be so multi-instrumental, and who her Arabic music inspirations are. Ghaliaa also r ... Show More
51m 2s
May 2024
Kareem Roustom | Defining Classical Arabic Music with the Emmy-Nominated Composer
Emmy-nominated composer Kareem Roustom joins us on Quartertones to discuss all things Arabic music. With musical interludes from across his albums, we talk about the origins of Arabic Classical Music, current and previous perceptions around it, and the pioneers of the genre inclu ... Show More
1h 8m
Feb 2024
A Journey Through Arabic Percussion | Karim Nagi
In this episode of Quartertone, Karim Nagi takes us on a journey into the world of Arabic percussion and rhythm. He talks about his experience as a musician and how the arts – and percussion in particular – have helped him embrace and grow into his own Arab identity. He shares hi ... Show More
49m 31s
Jun 2024
Is There a Sound That's Unique to Arab America? | Ronnie Malley
Ronnie Malley is a Palestinian-American multi-instrumentalist musician on oud, guitar, keys, and percussion, a music producer, theater maker, and educator. He is also executive director of Intercultural Music Production. Malley’s professional work and academic research focuses on ... Show More
56m 12s
Apr 2024
Best Buzuq Players of All Time | Farah Kaddour
Buzq player and musicologist Farah Kaddour, joins us in the afikra studio in Beirut to give us a tour of her music and her instrument. Alongside musical interludes and live performances, we talk about the specific sound and identity of the Buzq and Farah's individual performance ... Show More
56m 58s
Jan 2022
The great Black music symposium with Angel Bat Dawid, Qur'an Shaheed, Dr Adam Zanolini and Ben LaMar Gay
Qur'an Shaheed, Dr Adam Zanolini and Ben LaMar Gay join composer, improviser, clarinetist, and pianist Angel Bat Dawid to discuss the importance of not conforming, the struggle to find money to do what you love doing, recognising what your gifts are, and the experience of being d ... Show More
31m 8s
Apr 2017
Yellow-Red-Blue by Wassily Kandinsky - with Marc Canham
Marc Canham @marc_canham is a composer whose work spans film, video games, and art. His compositions have been remixed and re-interpreted by UNKLE, Amon Tobin, and Diplo, and he has also worked with artists such as Nathan Johnson, Philip Glass, Iggy Pop, Paul Hartnoll, and Baaba ... Show More
38m 3s