Home Within: Princeton University Concerts to kick off new season with performance about the Syrian revolution and its aftermath

The first Princeton University Concerts performance of the 2024-25 season will feature Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and visual artist Kevork Mourad.
The duo will perform “Home Within,” which features original music by Azmeh and projected illustrations by Mourad that depict moments in Syria’s recent history.
“Home Within,” created in 2012 to raise awareness about the plight of Syrian refugees, has been performed across the world for more than a decade as the conflict in Syria persists.
Following the performance, award-winning international reporter and Princeton University journalism professor Deborah Amos will moderate a discussion about the artists’ work and war’s impact on our sense of home.
The performance is part of Princeton University Concerts’ “Healing with Music” series. The third season of the series will showcase musicians who use their art to respond to world events and spark civic engagement.
“Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad are powerfully talented artists who have channeled their immense creativity into a sincere, sustained commitment to the plight of victims of the Syrian revolution,” said Princeton University Concerts Outreach Manager Dasha Koltunyuk. “They use image and sound to establish a sense of sustained urgency and continued hope for both their homeland and communities around the world. Their point of view reflects a deep belief that art can promote understanding.”
Azmeh, an award-winning clarinetist, soloist, composer, and improviser from Damascus, Syria, has gained international recognition for his distinctive voice. His compositions include several works for solo, chamber, and orchestral music, as well as music for film, live illustration, and electronics. Recent works were commissioned by The New York Philharmonic, The Seattle Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Quatuor Voce, Brooklyn Rider, Cello Octet Amsterdam, and more.
Mourad, who was born in Qamishli, Syria, now lives and works in New York City. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Kim Kashkashian, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Brooklyn Rider, the Knights, Perspectives Ensemble, Paola Prestini, and Kinan Azmeh on performances that feature his live drawings and animations. Some of his works are in the permanent collection of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the Spurlock Museum in Illinois, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, and the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin.
“Home Within is an incredibly compelling audio-visual production with a beautiful mission,” says Princeton University Concerts Director Marna Seltzer. “There’s something in it for lovers of classical music, world music, visual art, performance art—or simply for anyone who cares about what is happening in our world. This event also incorporates the bonus of a deep-dive discussion with the artists.”
Date: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 26, Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall on the Princeton University campus.
Tickets: Tickets are $25 for the public and $10 for students and can be purchased online.
Related events
Princeton University Concerts has partnered with the Princeton Public Library and the Princeton Garden Theatre to offer free book group discussions and a documentary screening related to the event. The events are free, but registration is required.
Princeton Public Library events
The Princeton Public Library will host two discussions about Aeham Ahmad’s memoir “A Pianist from Syria ” on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
The in-person discussion will be held from 10:30 a.m. until noon. Register on the library’s website.
The Zoom discussion will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Register on the library’s website.
Amos will give a talk via Zoom on Wednesday, September 4 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. Register on the library’s website.
Princeton Garden Theatre event
On Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m., the Princeton Garden Theatre will screen the Grammy-nominated documentary “The Music of Strangers,” directed by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville. The documentary follows members of the Silk Road Ensemble, including Azmeh and Mourad. Tickets are $14 (general admission) and $12 (members) and can be purchased on the Princeton Garden Theatre website.

Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.