Born in Lebanon in 1968 in an Armenian family, Ara Malikian began studying the violin at a very early age with his father. His talent was recognized precociously despite the difficulties he encountered because of the war, forcing him even to study during long periods of time in air-raid shelters. He gave his first concert of significance at the age of 12 and when he was 14, German conductor Hans Herbert Joris heard him and obtained a grant from the German government to study in the “Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover”. At 15 he was the youngest pupil to be admitted in this prestigious centre for higher musical studies. Later on he furthered his studies in the “Guildhall School of Music & Drama” in London, at the same time receiving lessons from renowned professors like Franco Gulli, Ruggiero Ricci, Ivry Gitlis, Herman Krebbers or members of the Alban Berg Quartett.

An undiminishing musical and human restlessness have led Ara Malikian to deepen his relationship with his own Armenian roots and to assimilate the music of other cultures like those of the Middle East (Arab and Jewish), Central Europe (gipsy and kletzmer), Argentina (tango) and Spain (flamenco). All this is achieved within a personal language in which the rhythmic and emotional strength of these types of music go hand in hand with the virtuosity and expressiveness of the great European classical tradition.

With a wide-ranging repertoire, that includes the great majority of all the important pieces written for the violin (concerts with orchestra, sonatas and pieces with piano and chamber music) he has also premiered pieces from modern composers like Franco Danatoni, Malcolm Lipkin, Luciano Chailly, Ladislav Kupkovich, Loris Tjeknavorian, Lawrence Roman and Yervand Yernakian. Malikian is also one of the few violinists that plays recitals for solo violin with programs featuring completes cycles of such significance as the “24 Paganini Caprices”, the “6 Sonatas of Eugene Ysaÿe” and the “Sonatas and Partitas of J.S. Bach”. In his hands these pieces achieve a new musical dimension that make us forget the enormous technical difficulties that they contain. His extraordinary level and quality as a violinist have been recognised in many competitions of world-wide reputation, among which we can note the First Prizes obtained in the International Competitions “Felix Mendelssohn” (1987, Berlin, Germany) and “Pablo Sarasate” (1995, Pamplona, Spain) besides other prizes like those from the competitions “Niccolo Paganini” (Genoa, Italy), “Zino Francescatti” (Marseille, France), “Rodolfo Lipizer” (Gorizia, Italy), “Jeunesses Musicales” (Belgrade, Yugoslavia), “Rameau” (Le Mans, Francia), “International Artists Guild” (New York, USA), and the “International Music Competition of Japan”. In 1993 he received the “Prize for Artistic Devotion and Achievement” from the German Ministry of Culture.

He has played in the most important concert halls of the world in more than 40 countries on the five continents: New York (Carnegie Hall), Paris (Salle Pleyel), Viene (Musikverein), Toronto (Ford Center), Madrid (Auditorio Nacional and Teatro Real), Venice, Los Angeles, Taipei, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Cuba, Barcelona and Bilbao among others. He has also participated in the festivals at Aspen, Colamar, Prades, Schleswig Holstein, Braunschweig, San Sebastian, Segovia, Bergen, Freden, Metlach and Prague.

Contact details and further information

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