Ibrahim Maalouf

With 15 studio albums released, Ibrahim Maalouf went from prizewinner of the greatest international classical trumpet competitions around the world to becoming the most popular jazzman of the French musical scene. Selling out the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, the Lincoln Jazz Center in New York City, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, he became, in 2016, the first jazzman in history to have sold out the largest concert venue in France, the AccorArena of Paris Bercy. Scouted by living legend Quincy Jones, and described by the New York Times as a “virtuoso”, Ibrahim has worked over the years with Wynton Marsalis, Angélique Kidjo, Melody Gardot, the Kronos Quartet, Trilok Gurtu, Josh Groban, Marcus Miller, Salif Keita, and many more. In 2021, he made an appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert alongside Jon Batiste, who presented him as a “living legend of jazz”. After he was invited by Sting to play alongside him at the reopening of the Bataclan in Paris, he then paid tribute to Tignous, one of the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists who was brutally murdered, at his funeral. He also honoured the memory of the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks of fall 2015 in a national tribute, composing a hymn sung by young French star Louane. Over a few years, the musician, film score composer and multiple times award-winner (Victoires de la Musique, Césars, Lumières…) has become a compelling artist and a symbol for intercultural dialogue, to the point where he was chosen to play the national anthem in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on July 14th, 2021, the performance was broadcasted on national TV for 6 million viewers. Once again where you least expected him, with his 16th album Capacity to Love, Ibrahim Maalouf wants to make an impression with brand new, surprising, and innovative popular music. Ibrahim Maalouf : Born in 1980 in Beirut, the trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is currently the most popular instrumentalist of the French musical scene. His work is infamous for its particular fusion of multiple musical genres and has been renowned around the world for more than ten years now. His music made him travel to more than 40 countries around the world over the past ten years. During this time, he performs in many sold-out prestigious concert venues, such as the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, as well as a series of concerts in New York at the Lincoln Jazz Center. Back in France, his success keeps growing; the musician organizes a historic event on December 14th, 2016, taking place at the Accor Arena of Paris Bercy, the biggest concert venue in France. The event ended up being sold out more than eight months in advance, making him the first jazzman in history to have sold out the largest concert venue in France. A few months later, Ibrahim creates a sensation, as the New York Times calls him a virtuoso of the quarter-tone trumpet. Meanwhile, the instrumentalist performs an exceptional concert presenting the world premiere of his album: Levantine Symphony No.1, in collaboration with The New Levant Initiative, in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center. Throughout his career, Ibrahim received two Victoires du Jazz and two Victoires de la Musique for Best World Music Album and Musical Show and Concert of the Year, making him the first instrumentalist to receive an award in the 33-year history of the Victoires de la Musique. Ibrahim also won an Echo Jazz in Germany, a César Award for Best Original Music as well as a Lumières Award for Best Original Score in 2016. Additionally, he is the recipient of the following honorary distinctions from the French government: Knight of the National Order of Merit and Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. As a teenager, Ibrahim came in the first position of the most prestigious and renowned international trumpet competitions, as he was making his debut as a classical soloist. From the 2000s onwards, he impresses with his exceptional ability to improvise melodies and to give them life in a very colorful way. He soon became a reference in Pop, Jazz, and World music. Artists such as Sting, Salif Keita, Amadou & Mariam, Tryo, Matthieu Chedid, Lhasa de Sela, and many other influent musicians from different music genres reach out to collaborate with him. In between 2007 and 2019, Ibrahim writes, composes, arranges more than 15 albums, both for himself and for other artists. During this time, he also orchestrates more than ten symphonic pieces and signs 15 film scores. After attracting the notice of legendary producer Quincy Jones during a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2017, Ibrahim becomes one of the artists to whom the American producer offers ongoing support through Quincy Jones Productions based in Los Angeles. In 2019, Ibrahim creates the original soundtracks of three movies, one of them is Who You Think I Am by Safy Nebbou, starring Juliette Binoche, which becomes an international success. Next, he gets on with a summer tour all around France with the Balkan brass band Haïdouti Orkestar. After his summer tour in September of 2019, Ibrahim Maalouf releases his 11th studio album: S3NS. Following the launch of this new album, a world tour begins with a series of sold-out concerts at the Olympia, in Paris, on September 23-24-25th. Besides, Ibrahim has been teaching trumpet and improvisation in conservatories since 1999. Moreover, he was invited many times by the ITG (International Trumpet Guild) in the United States to give concerts and masterclasses. The trumpeter has been developing, over the years, a customized teaching method for classical music improvisation in French conservatories. His latest educational collaboration goes back to Fall 2019 when he invites all the students from the Orchestre à l’École organization, all over France, to join him and his musicians on stage to perform his track Happy Face. A one in a lifetime opportunity for all the children to experience their first time on stage. In 2019, Ibrahim composes, performs, and records the music for the show Monsieur X, created by Mathilda May featuring famous actor Pierre Richard. In 2020, the show is awarded the Molière for Best One-Man-Show. Alongside his projects, Ibrahim Maalouf and his label produce the debut album of Thaïs Lona, an emerging Pop-RnB artist. November 2020 marks the 40th birthday of the musician, as well as the release of his album 40 MELODIES. For the first time in a duet with François Delporte, his guitarist of the last ten years, the album will also feature many other renowned guests (Sting, Marcus Miller, Matthieu Chedid, Alfredo Rodriguez, Richard Bona, Trilok Gurtu, Hüsnü Senlendrici, Jon Batiste, Arturo Sandoval, and others). In 2021, he releases his latest opus FIRST NOEL, in which he revisits 25 all-time classic Christmas songs + 3 original compositions.