Born in Beirut in 1980, Ibrahim Maalouf is currently a popular instrumentalist in the French music scene and one of the most recognized internationally. His genre-crossing work has led him to fill Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena, sell out the Lincoln Jazz Center in New York, or perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and travel to over 40 countries around the world.
In 2016, he became the first jazz musician in history to fill France’s largest concert hall, the Paris Bercy Arena, selling out 8 months in advance for a historic show. “The virtuoso” according to The New York Times, has received 2 “Victoires du Jazz”, 2 “Victoires de la Musique” (making him the first and only instrumentalist to be awarded in the history of this ceremony), an “Echo Jazz” in Germany, a “César for Best Film Music”, a “Prix Lumières” for Best Film Music, as well as honoraryaawards of Knight of the Order of Merit and Knight of Arts and Letters.
As a teenager, Ibrahim was already winning major international classical music competitions and starting a solo career. In the 2000s, he became essential in pop, jazz as well as the “World” music scene. Sting, Salif Keita, Amadou & Mariam, Tryo, Matthieu Chédid, Lhasa de Sela, and many artists of very diverse styles call on him.
Between 2007 and 2023, Ibrahim produced, composed, arranged, and directed more than 20 albums for himself and other artists. He also composed more than 10 symphonic pieces and twenty movie scores.
In 2017, Quincy Jones Productions became his representative in the United States, and his North American career took off anew. The American Media’s reviews of his album “Queen of Sheba” – in a duet with the Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo – are rapturous. “The most interesting album of the year” according to the legendary magazine Spin, “Without a doubt one of the most important world music albums of the year” according to Glide Magazine, another leading American music magazine.
In 2022, Ibrahim composed the soundtrack for “Reste un peu” by Gad Elmaleh. One of the greatest French directors, Claude Lelouch, offered him to compose the music for his 51st feature film.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim has never stopped expressing his love for the trumpet and improvisation. In 2022, he relaunched after 17 years of absence, and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Maurice André International Trumpet Competition, thus putting the name of the man who was his father’s teacher and a true mentor, at the center of French cultural media interest.
In 2021, Ibrahim released a book entitled “Petite philosophie de l’improvisation” and initiated “Improbox”, a radio program on TSF Jazz that highlights the importance and place of improvisation in all professions. He sees himself as an activist for the reintegration of improvisation into musical learning as well as national education.
Ibrahim Maalouf is an artist who is committed. He was present alongside Sting during the reopening of The Bataclan, as well as the funeral of Tignous, one of the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo, and composed a tribute song in tribute to the victims of the 2015 attacks, sung by Louane, written by his uncle Amin Maalouf, and performed with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
On July 15, 2021, Ibrahim performed a personalized version of La Marseillaise in front of 6 million viewers and 500,000 people gathered on the Champs de Mars. He also stays close to his country of origin, Lebanon. In 2020, he organized a major fundraising concert at the Olympia, broadcasted on France 2 and all Lebanese television channels to help Lebanon after the explosion at the port of Beirut. Donations exceeded 2 million euros.