Phenomenal and unorthodox Lebanese Armenian Violinist, Ara Malikian, paid a tribute to his birthplace Lebanon with the premiere of his new album Petit Garage, which he played in the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport, surprising arriving passengers.
Due to the global pandemic that obstructed the performers’ concert plans and bookings he’d done around the world, Malikian had to improvise and ensure the world is not deprived from his soulful tunes.
He turned the Royal Garage into a Petit Garage where he opted to continue performing and delivering his beautiful melodies to the world, through turning his prodigious concerts into much smaller, much more private, soul on soul, intimate events.
Malikian’s affinity with garages seems to be inspired from his childhood, resurfacing from the place where his father used to force him to learn the violin, back in war-torn Lebanon in 1976.
He and his father used to perform in their garage under the sound of bombs. He found that the music they played was a refuge for people’s depressed mindsets, a moment where they could dance and sing and forget their problems.
Born to an Armenian family in Beirut, Malikian recalls having being forced by his father to play and perform the violin until he fell in love with the instrument.
He was later invited to study at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover in Germany and was the youngest student to be admitted in the school.
His eccentric avant-garde musical style flourished after he came to conclusions that the conservatory he attended was too “conservative” for him, and he needed to make a living. He began to perform at bars and clubs where his style slowly began to grow.
Living in Madrid and performing on the daily, Malikian has developed several music styles but mostly inspired by Lebanon and its Tarab.
He’s a multi-award and prize winner and has performed in over 40 countries with the most notable orchestras. Malikian has also worked and performed with noteworthy Fayrouz.
