August 22 / 6:00 p.m.
Colin JACOBSEN
Ascending Bird
Anna CLYNE
Sound and Fury
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
“Hallelujah Chorus” from The Messiah featuring the South Bend Chamber Singers
Kinan AZMEH
Suite for Improvisor
II. November 22
III. Wedding
Composer Key: Composer names in ALL CAPS indicate deceased composers. Composer names in Title Case indicate living composers.
Hailed by critics and audiences alike, clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh has gained international recognition for his distinctive voice across diverse musical genres. His album Uneven Sky with the Deutsches Symphony Orchestra won the OPUS KLASSIK Award in 2019.
Originally from Damascus, Syria, Kinan brings his music to all corners of the world as a soloist, composer, collaborator, and improviser. Notable appearances include the Opera Bastille, Paris; Tchaikovsky Grand Hall, Moscow; Carnegie Hall and the UN General Assembly, New York; Royal Albert Hall, London; Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires; Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin; Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, Washington DC; the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie; and in his native Syria at the opening concert of the Damascus Opera House.
He has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Dusseldorf Symphony, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Azerbaijan State Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Toronto Symphony, A Far Cry, The Knights, Calgary Philharmonic, Qatar Philharmonic, and the Syrian Symphony Orchestra among others and has shared the stage with such musical luminaries as Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Marcel Khalife, John McLaughlin, Francois Rabbath, Aynur and Jivan Gasparian.
Kinan is renowned for his diverse portfolio of compositions spanning solo, chamber, and orchestral music, as well as film scores, live illustration, and electronic music. His recent works have garnered acclaim, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, The Knights, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Elbphilharmonie, Apple Hill String Quartet, Quatuor Voce, Brooklyn Rider, Cello Octet Amsterdam, the Aizuri Quartet, and Bob Wilson.
His first opera Songs for Days to Come which is fully sung in Arabic, was premiered in Osnabruck, Germany in June 2022 to a great acclaim.
A champion of contemporary music, he has been honored with dedications of several clarinet concertos by composer colleagues including Kareem Roustom, Dia Succari, Dinuk Wijeratne, Zaid Jabri, Saad Haddad, Kyle Sanna, and Guss Janssen. Additionally, he has been the inspiration behind a multitude of chamber music compositions.
In addition to his own Arab-Jazz quartet, Kinan Azmeh and CityBand, and his Hewar trio, Kinan has also been performing with the Silkroad Ensemble since 2012, whose 2017 Grammy Award-winning album Sing Me Home features Kinan as a clarinetist and composer.
Kinan Azmeh was appointed by President Biden to the United States National Council for the Arts. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School as a student of Charles Neidich, and of both the Damascus High Institute of Music where he studied with Shukry Sahwki, Nicolay Viovanof, and Anatoly Moratof, and Damascus University’s School of Electrical Engineering. Kinan earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from the City University of New York in 2013.
The South Bend Chamber Singers, an ensemble-in-residence at Saint Mary’s College under the direction of Nancy Menk, is in its 28th season. Over the past 20-plus years the Singers have presented major choral-orchestral works such as Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, B Minor Mass, and St. John Passion; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Brahms’ Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana. Yet, the ensemble concentrates primarily on works by living composers and regularly commissions new works and unusual and complex arrangements.
The Singers have commissioned new choral works from composers Stephen Paulus, Jan Bach, William Hawley, Steven Sametz, Libby Larsen, Gregg Smith, Carey Boyce, Frank Ferko, Dan Locklair, Carol Barnett, Paul Carey, Zae Munn, Robert Harris, J. David Moore, and many others, most of which have been published and continue to be performed by choirs throughout the world. Other concerts have featured music from the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Africa, India, Korea, and even Mongolia.
The choir has joined with numerous other chamber and instrumental ensembles including the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and Germany’s Chamber Orchestra of the Rhine; the Chester, Cavani, and Avalon String Quartets; the Northern Illinois University Steel Band, and South Bend’s own Kennedy’s Kitchen.
The Chamber Singers were selected to perform for the Central Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association in 1996 (Cincinnati) and 2002 (Chicago). In 2000, the Singers were one of five finalists for the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, given annually by Chorus America, and they won the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming in 2004. In March 2012 they performed for the American Choral Directors Association Central Division Conference in Fort Wayne. They were semi-finalists for The American Prize in Choral Performance in 2012 and 2013. From 1992 to 2009 they were awarded annual grants from the Indiana Arts Commission.
PRESENTING SPONSOR
$20,000
Pre-dinner party and toast for you and your guests with Maestro Alastair Willis on the Morris Performing Arts Center main stage
Premier seating for 16 (two tables of eight) with exclusive table service, and curated wine selections
Ten tickets to an exclusive soirée featuring a private performance by an acclaimed guest artist. Time and location, to be determined (Spring 2027)
Logo and brand recognition on the Symphony website, social media, digital communication, and print materials throughout the 2026-27 Season
Full-page color ad in the Symphony’s 2026-27 Season program book (runs September-May)
Recognition as a Presenting Sponsor on event signage, in the evening program book, and throughout the evening activities
Dinner with Maestro Alastair Willis following a concert (to be determined) during the 2026-27 Season
Ten premium tickets to be used throughout the South Bend Symphony’s 2026-27 Season. Plus access to the Ella Morris hospitality lounge
DIAMOND SPONSOR
$15,000
Pre-dinner party and toast for you and your guests with Maestro Alastair Willis on the Morris Performing Arts Center main stage
Premier seating for eight with exclusive table service, and curated wine selections
Ten tickets to an exclusive soirée featuring a private performance by an acclaimed guest artist. Time and location, to be determined (Spring 2027)
Logo and brand recognition on the Symphony website, social media,digital communication, and print materials throughout the 2026-27 Season
Recognition as a Diamond Sponsor on event signage, in the evening program book, and throughout the evening activities
Eight premium tickets to be used throughout the South Bend Symphony’s 2026-27 Season. Plus access to the Ella Morris hospitality lounge
PLATINUM SPONSOR
$10,000
Pre-dinner party and toast for you and your guests with Maestro Alastair Willis on the Morris Performing Arts Center main stage
Premier seating for eight, and curated wine selections
Logo and brand recognition on the Symphony website, social media, digital communication, and print materials throughout the 2026-27 Season
Recognition as a Platinum Sponsor on event signage, in the evening program book, and throughout the evening activities
Six premium tickets to be used throughout the South Bend Symphony’s 2026-27 Season Plus access to the Ella Morris hospitality lounge
GOLD SPONSOR
$5,000
Seating for eight
Recognition as a Gold Sponsor on event signage, in the evening program book, and throughout the evening activities
Four premium tickets to be used throughout the South Bend Symphony’s 2026-27 Season. Plus access to the Ella Morris hospitality lounge
SILVER SPONSOR
$2,500
Seating for four
Recognition as a Silver Sponsor on event signage, in the evening program book, and throughout the evening activities
PATRON
$1,000 Couple
$500 Individual
Preferred seating
Recognition in the evening program book
The fair-market value of one gala ticket is $150.