Born in Beirut, Lebanon, in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War in 1980, Ibrahim Maalouf has today emerged as the most popular instrumentalist in France – and his work has been recognized worldwide for over 10 years. Trained by his father in both traditional Arab music and Western classical music, he was the winner of major international classical trumpet competitions (in the U.S., Hungary, France, Finland, among other countries), embarking on an inspiring career as a classical music soloist at the age of twenty.
During his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, he developed a strong interest in jazz classes that encouraged improvisation. Soon after, Ibrahim established himself as a figure to be reckoned with on the French music scene and in World Music as a whole. Sting, Salif Keita, Amadou & Mariam, Ibeyi, Marcel Khalifé, Vanessa Paradis, Alfredo Rodriguez, and many other artists with a broad variety of styles drew upon his highly distinctive musical sound.
In 2007, after being rebuffed by established record companies, Ibrahim created his own independent label and released his first album, Diasporas. Its success helped him to create his subsequent albums.
Between 2007 and 2017, Ibrahim produced, composed, arranged, and released more than 15 albums for himself and other artists. He has received four Victoires de la Musique awards (the French equivalent of the Grammy Awards). In 2016, he won a César de la Musique de Film (the French equivalent of Best Film Score at the Academy Awards) and a Prix Lumières (comparable to a U.S. Golden Globe) for best film score. He made a major impression at a historic concert (sold out 6 months in advance) held on December 14, 2016 at France’s largest concert venue, the Paris-Bercy AccorHotels Arena. Today, Ibrahim continues to work with renowned world orchestras, children’s choirs, and other groups, at the highest level of musical excellence and creativity.