KINAN AZMEH & LAYALE CHAKER 

Benefit Concert for the Hudson Festival Orchestra 

Date & Time TBD – Spring 
Historic First Presbyterian Church of Hudson 
369 Warren St. @ 4th, Hudson, NY 12534 

Kinan and Layale will perform excerpts from their new composition, “Dawning” presented with the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center in Fall of 2023.  

Kinan Azmeh, a Grammy-award winning clarinetist, was a featured performer last summer as part of Hudson in Concert. He has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic and the Seattle Symphony. He has shared the stage with Yo-yo Ma, Danial Barenboim and Marcel Khalife. He is a graduate of Julliard and a member of Yo-yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. 

Layale Chaker, a violinist, has just completed a year-long residency as part of WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab.  Her debut album, “Inner Thyme” – 2019, was ranked #2 on NPR’s 10-best releases and received rave reviews by the NYTimes, BBC Music Magazine, Jazz World and others. 

The piece – on which Azmeh (clarinet) and Chaker (violin) also feature as co-soloists – stems from the many lullabies they’ve been singing to their son for the past three years.  They write: “It’s a testament to the human capacity to create and nurture life, even in the face of adversities, and a poignant reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is room for joy, love, and the promise of a brighter future.” 

“Dawning” is co-commissioned by the NY Philharmonic, Lincoln’s symphony Orchestra and the Nebraska Musicfest where the piece had its world premiere in August 2023.