Ara Malikian
is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant and expressive violinists of his generation. In possession of a personal style, forged from his own origins and rich musical experience, his artistic voice has emerged as an original and innovative presence on the world and musical scene.

Born in Lebanon in 1968 to an Armenian family, Ara Malikian began studying the violin at a very early age with his father. His talent was recognized and nurtured despite the difficulties encountered because of the war, forcing him to study during long periods of time in air-raid shelters. He gave his first serious concert at the age of 12 and when he was 14, he obtained a scholarship from the German Culture Ministry to study at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover. At 15, he was the youngest pupil to be admitted in this prestigious centre. He later furthered his studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and studied with renowned professors such as Franco Gulli, Ruggiero Ricci, Ivry Gitlis, Herman Krebbers and members of the Alban Berg Quartet.

An undiminishing musical and human restlessness have led Ara to deepen his relationship with his own Armenian roots and to assimilate music of other cultures, like those of the Middle East (Arab and Jewish), Central Europe (Gypsy and Klezmer), 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 a majority of the important pieces written for violin (concertos with orchestra, sonatas and pieces with piano and chamber music), he has also premiered works by modern composers such as Franco Danatoni, Malcolm Lipkin, Luciano Chailly, Ladislav Kupkovich, Loris Tjeknavorian, Lawrence Roman and Yervand Yernakian. Malikian is also one of the few violinists who plays recitals for solo violin with programs featuring complete cycles of such as the 24 Paganini Caprices, the 6 sonatas of Eugene Ysaÿe and the sonatas and partitas of Bach.

Malikian has been recognized in may competitions of worldwide reputation, including first prizes at the International Competitions “Felix Mendelssohn” (1987, Berlin, Germany) and “Pablo Sarasate” (1995, Pamplona, Spain). In addition, “Zino Francescatti”(Marseille, France), “Rodolfo Lipizer” (Gorizia, Italy), Jeunesses Musicales” (Belgrade, Serbia), “Rameau” (Le Mans, France), “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.

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

Malikian has worked with figures such as Joaquín Cortés and Belén Maya, film composers such as Pascal Gainge and Alberto Iglesias with whom he recorded the soundtrack for “Talk to her”, the Academy Award winning movie by Pedro Almodóvar.

Daniel del Pino
is one of the leading Spanish concert pianists in the international scene. He has performed in all five continents. His performances have been heard in the most prestigous venues all over Europe (Salle Gaveau in Paris, Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, Atheneum G. Enescu in Bucharest, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada, Auditori in Barcelona, Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao), in Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Gabon, Japan, Taiwan (Taipei’s National Concert Hall), Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and in the U.S.A (Carnegie Hall). He has also been soloist with the following orchestras: Symphonies of RTVE (Spanish Radio Television, Madrid), Sevilla, Valencia, Galicia, Malaga, Castilla-Leon, Murcia, Orquesta de Camara Reina Sofia and the Meadows, Winchester, Federal Way, Garland, Las Colinas, New Arlington, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Virtuosi di Praga, Filharmonia Podkarpacka (Rzeszow, Poland), Bucharest Philarmonic “George Enescu” (Romania), Brasov, and Transilvania State Symphony Orchestras among others, with conductors such as: Max Bragado, Enrique Garcia-Asensio, Alejandro Posada, Rubén Gimeno, Carlo Rizzi, Marco Gatti, Alfonso Saura, Bernard le Monnier, Robert Carter Austin…

He is a frequent guest at numerous festivals worldwide, Segovia, Cadaqués, Ubeda, Ayamonte, Alfas del Pi, Itu (Brasil), Morelia Festival (Mexico), Verbier (Switzerland), Musifleuves, Piano en Saintonge (France), Chamber Music International (Dallas, USA), Newport Music Festival (USA) for nine consecutive years, and the Haifa Chamber Music Society (Israel). He has premiered works by José Zárate, Elena Kats-Chernin, Nicolai Kapustin, Francisco Lara and Antón García-Abril.

He has won numerous First Prizes at National and International Piano Competition (“Nueva Acrópolis”, “Ciudad de Ferrol” with the Audience Prize, “Fundacion Guerrero” and the “Grand Prize from Her Majesty Princess Lalla Meriem” with the Chopin Prize in Morocco among others). His interpretation of Spanish music has always received recognition being awarded Special Prizes in International Piano Competition “Ciudad de Ferrol”, Jeunesses Musicales du Maroc, “Fundacion Guerrero” and “Premio Jaen”. In 2000, he was awarded Fifth Prize and Special Prize for the Best Interpretation of a work by Chopin at the "Jose Iturbi" International Piano Competition in Spain.

Daniel del Pino was born in Lebanon in 1972 of spanish parents. He studied piano with Julian Lopez-Gimeno at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica of Madrid (Spain). He holds a Master’s degree in piano performance from Yale University where he studied with Peter Frankl graduating in 1997 and receiving the Elizabeth Parisot Prize as well as the Ellsworth Gruman Prizes to an outstanding pianist. From 1998 to 2000 he studied with Joaquin Achucarro in the Artist Certificate program at Southern Methodist University winning the Concerto Competition in his first year. From 2002 to 2005, he was a Piano Professor at the Toledo Conservatory in Spain. He has given masterclasses at the “Klagenfurt Masterclass” (Austria), EuroArts Festival and Academy in Leipzig (Germany), Boston University, Jordan Academy of Music (Jordan), San Esteban de Gormaz, Pressjovem in Cordoba (Spain), in Tucson and Washington (USA) and the Edward Said National Conservatory of Palestine in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem (Palestine). He is currently part of the Faculty at Musikene (Superior Conservatory of the Basque Country).

His performances have been broadcasted by the RNE (Spanish Public Radio), RTVE (Spanish Public Television), SWR 2 (Sttutgart, Germany), Morelia (Mexico), Brasov, Bucharest and Cluj Televisions (Romania), Boston WGBH, Chicago WFMT, Dallas, Libreville, Taiwan National Television and Sydney ABC radios. He has recorded the complete Chopin etudes under the label Verso, the CD “Live in Villa San Lorenzo” with the double-bassist Alberto Bocini (NBB Records), the complete Goyescas by Granados (Verso) as well as the CDs “Minds” (violin and piano) and “No Seasons” (violin, voice, piano and orchestra) with violinist Ara Malikian and the Non-Profit Chamber Orchestra, and most recently a CD with music by Kapustin with premiere recordings of his concerto for two pianos and percussion along with Ludmil Angelov and Neopercusion.