»Salām Syria«: Syria and the World

After classical training in Damascus, Azmeh studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. While there, he developed a taste for jazz as well as for traditional Arabic music. Today he feels at home in a number of diverse musical genres: he plays Syrian jazz with his CityBand in New York; in the Morgenland All Star Band exceptional musicians from Germany meet outstanding soloists from the Arab region; and in the Silk Road Ensemble he shines alongside Yo-Yo Ma. However, his trio Hewar is especially close to his heart.

»Hewar« is the Arabic word for »dialogue«, and that is exactly what the three Syrian musicians are conducting with top musicians from across the globe. For the closing concert of the Elbphilharmonie’s Syria Festival, the trio – Kinan Azmeh, high-profile Syrian soprano Dima Orsho and Issam Rafea – are joined by Armenian duduk virtuoso Jivan Gasparyan, the French jazz tuba player Michel Godard and the Tunisian-born Jasser Haj Yousseff.