Flushing Town Hall’s Common Ground: Mini-Global Mashups will continue with the “Syria Meets Lumbee/Tuscarora” concert featuring Syrian clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh and Indigenous artist Charly Lowry on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.
The monthly concert series presents musicians from different countries and musical backgrounds together on stage for a “mini mashup” collaboration, playing together for the first time.
“We are always excited to present these Mini-Global Mashups concerts,” Flushing Town Hall Executive and Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek said. “Our audience are in for a real treat this month getting to see a performance by the great musical talents of Kinan Azmeh and Charly Lowry.”
Hailed as “intensely soulful” and a “virtuoso” by The New York Times, internationally recognized clarinetist and composer Azmeh has received critical acclaim for his distinctive voice across different musical genres. Originally from Damascus, Syria, Azmeh has shared his music with all corners of the world, whether as a soloist, part of a chamber band or orchestra, or composing pieces for film and live illustration.
Azmeh has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and shared the stage with musical luminaries such as Yo-Yo Ma and Daniel Barenboim. In addition to having his own Arab-Jazz Quartet City Band and his Hewar trio, Azmeh has been playing with the Silkroad Ensemble since 2012 and was a contributor to their 2017 Grammy award-winning album “Sing Me Home.”
His first opera, “Songs for Days to Come,” entirely sung in Arabic, recently premiered in Osnabruck, Germany, in June 2022 to great praise. Azmeh was appointed to the National Council for the Arts after receiving a nomination by President Joe Biden.
Lowry is a proud Indigenous musical powerhouse from Pembroke, North Carolina. Hailing from the Lumbee/Tuscarora tribes, she is passionate about raising awareness around issues that plague underdeveloped and underserved communities and expresses the struggle, sacrifice, and obstacles her people have overcome throughout history in her music.
Since her teenage years, Lowry has established a career as a professional singer, songwriter, guitarist and hand drummer. Her career is a testament to rising above societal barriers. In her Native community, women are traditionally barred from the hand drum and relegated to singing behind the men’s drum and dancing instead. Lowry chose to defy that norm and play her hand drum and guitar, following in the footsteps of her fellow Indigenous artist and mentor, Pura Fé.
With a solo career that has spanned over a decade and an appearance on “American Idol” as a semifinalist, Lowry has also been the front woman for the award-winning band Dark Water Rising. Most recently, she and the members of her newest group, Charly & The Sunshine, were selected by the U.S. State Department and American Music Abroad to participate in the 2021-2022 American Music Abroad Virtual Season.
The Oct. 16 performance will be followed by a Q+A conversation between the artists and the audience.
In-person tickets are $12 for Flushing Town Hall members and $15 for non-members. Those who are unable to attend in-person can view the livestream for $5 on Flushing Town Hall’s YouTube page. Donations are encouraged.
For the Mini-Global Mashup series’ full schedule and to purchase tickets, visit flushingtownhall.org/mini-global-mashups or call 718-463-7700 ext. 222.
