With Morgenland Chamber Orchestra

Kinan Azmeh a clarinetist and composer, and member of the Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. Born in Damascus, Kinan has lived in New York City since 2001. 

For the moment, Kinan Azmeh is stuck in Beirut. The Syrian clarinetist, who tours the world with Yo-Yo Ma and plays shows worldwide with his jazz quartet and other groups, flew there last Friday for a concert. That same night, President Donald Trump signed an executive order disallowing Syrians and citizens of six other countries from entering the U.S., even if they have legal visas. So while Azmeh, 40, has an EB-1 "alien with extraordinary abilities" visa and has lived in New York City for 16 years, he has no idea whether he'll be allowed to return to his Brooklyn home. His flight, from Beirut to John F. Kennedy International Airport via Rome, is Thursday night. "If I'm denied flying, I don't know how to get my stuff out of the U.S.," Azmeh says from his Beirut hotel.
 
Azmeh, a graduate of New York's Juilliard School who also holds an electrical-engineering degree, has faced discrimination in the U.S. before. After September 11th, he recalls, "You start to speak Arabic with a softer voice." He has had a green card since 2014, and wonders if he'll make a scheduled show this month at New York's Cornelia Street Café.
 
Kinan Azmeh is only one of many affected directly by President Trump's travel ban on seven Middle Eastern countries.