Ara Malikian

Ara Malikian is without a doubt one of the most brilliant and expressive violinists of his generation. He possesses a style of his own, influenced by his origins and his enriching musical experiences; the sound of his violin soars up like one of the most original and innovative voices of the contemporary musical scene. Born in Lebanon in the heart of an Armenian family, Ara Malikian took up the violin at a very early age guided by his father. He gave his first solo concert at 12 years of age and when he was 15 received a scholarship from the German government (DAAD) to study in the Hochschule fr Musik und Theater Hannover. He later furthered his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London as well as receiving classes from some of the most prestigious teachers in the world such as Franco Gulli, Ruggiero Ricci, Ivri Gitlis, Herman Krebbers and members of the Alban Berg Quartett.

Malikians quality and level as a violinist has been recognized in numerous world-class competitions, among which it is worth highlighting the prizes he has been awarded in the following international competitions: Felix Mendelssohn (1987 Berlin, Germany), Pablo Sarasate (1995 Pamplona, Spain), Niccolo Paganini (Genova, Italy), Zino Francescatti (Marseilles, France), Rodolfo Lipizer (Gorizia, Italy), Young Musicians (Belgrade, Serbia), International Artist Guild (New York, USA), and the International Music Competition of Japan. In 1993 he obtained the Prize for Artistic Dedication and Fulfillment from the German Ministry of Culture.

As a soloist, Malikian has been invited to perform in more than 40 countries, including: New York (Carnegie Hall), Paris (Salle Pleyel), Vienna (Musikverein), Toronto (Ford Center), Madrid (Auditorio Nacional and Teatro Real), Zrich (Tonhalle), London (Barbican Center), Tokyo, Istanbul, Berlin, Athens, Venice, Los Angeles, Taipei City, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Cuba, Bogota, Munich, Prague, Seville, Bangkok, Barcelona and Bilbao among others. He has collaborated in concerts for violin and orchestra, playing under the direction of many renownedconductors such as: Mariss Janssons, Peter Maag, Jess Lpez Cobos, Miguel Angel Gmez-Martnez, Luis Antonio Garca Navarro, Peter Schneider, Vassili Sinaisky, Edmond de Stoutz, Gudni Emilson Juan Jos Mena, Jo Ann Falletta, Pedro Halffter, Alejandro Posada, Cristbal Halffter, and Salvator Brotons.

Ara Malikian has already released a considerable number of albums with Warner music, including works by Antonio Vivaldi his Four Seasons sold more than 80,000 copies for UNICEF J.S. Bach (Sonatas and partitas), Niccolo Paganini (24 Caprichos), Eugene Ysae (6 sonatas), Robert Schumann (3 sonatas), Pablo Sarasate, Enrique Arbs, Astor Piazzola, Armenian music and
flamenco music with the guitarist Jos Luis Montn (Manantial and De la Felicidad). In addition, he has released a compilation CD called Lejos featuring music by Fernando Egzcue, with Egzcue on the guitar and Malikian on the violin, in a concert performed for the first time in the Veranos de la Villa festival in Madrid on 18th August 2007.

Recently, the virtuoso and multi-faceted Malikian has embarked on a project
together with the Orchestra of Castilla and Len to recover and record concertos for
violin and orchestra by Spanish composers. The first album in the series includes
works by Xavier Montsalvatje and Luis de los Cobos. Among his other recent
releases, we may highlight two as particularly noteworthy: first, the Concerto for
Violin and Orchestra by Aram Khachaturian performed with the Symphonic
Orchestra of Extremadura and conducted by Jess Amigo, and second, the album
Seasons featuring Piazollas Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Ara Malikian has always shown a special interest in bringing music both
classical and otherwise closer to the general public and introducing new
audiences to these sounds. For this reason he created My first Four Seasons, a
dramatized version of Vivaldis Four Seasons which has been performed across the
whole of Spain with great success and critical acclaim. In 2009 he also launched
Stories of the World, Armenia, a show for the whole family in which the audience
enjoys the music played by Malikian and his ensemble, and each piece is linked with
a narrative thread connecting them all together.