The Art of the Duo

Followed by Q&A with artists: “Creativity, Syria and Sri Lanka”

Collaborative project between the grammy award-winning Syrian clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh and Sri Lankan-born Canadian innovative pianist/composer Dinuk Wijeratne

Saturday, August 11th at 7:30pm, Unitarian Church of Montpelier

Suggested donation for admission: $20

This project fuses elements of Arabic and Southeast Asian vocabulary with classical and jazz music idioms to create a new sonic world that the legendary Marcel Khalife called ‘Wings of Breath.’ The duo released their album Complex Stories, Simple Sounds in 2009 and has been touring around the US, Canada, Argentina, Europe, and the Middle East.

The program will consist of music composed by Azmeh and Wijeratne with their own personal stories, inspirations, and influences attached. Improvisation is a cornerstone of their performances, making each experience unique for the audience. Azmeh and Wijeratne share the stories that help shape their compositions, from the Syrian crisis with its tormenting realities and hopes for recovery to fascinating aural inspirations from literature. Azmeh and Wijeratne as a duo are a marvel to behold, and truly tremendous examples of collaborative musicianship. The clarinet is woven together with the piano as melodic and non-melodic percussion instrument, creating an unexpected definition of “clarinet and piano music.”

The concert is co-presented by Monteverdi Music School and Seven Stars Arts Center, funded in part through grants from Montpelier Alive and the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.