Maalouf residency gallery

Ibrahim Maalouf with members of the KSU Brass Ensemble after the dress rehearsal for the premiere of Fanny Trip

L-R: Frank Tracz (KSU Director of Bands), Ibrahim Maalouf, Gary Mortenson

The Kansas State Faculty Brass after performing the Boehme Sextet L-R: Jacqueline Kerstetter, Elisa Adkison, Steven Maxwell, Craig Parker, Gary Mortenson, Ibrahim Maalouf

International trumpet soloist Ibrahim Maalouf was in residence November 5 through 12, 2005 at Kansas State University where he presented concerts, master classes, and demonstrations that featured a wide range of styles. On the very day he traveled to Kansas for this residency he celebrated his 25th birthday! His hosts during the residency were the KSU Chapter of the International Trumpet Guild, the KSU Music Department, and Gary and Kristin Mortenson.

Ibrahim Maalouf was born in Beirut, Lebanon on November 5, 1980, but soon moved to more peaceful Paris, France, where he spent his childhood and received his training as a trumpeter. His first teacher was his father, Nassim Maalouf, a former student of Maurice André. Nassim incorporated both traditional western music and the music of his native Lebanon into Ibrahim’s studies. He also trained his son in the use of the quarter-tone trumpet so that these intervals, integral to Arabic ethnic music, could be reproduced.

At age seventeen, Ibrahim began his studies with Gérard Boulanger and Guy Touvron at the Paris Regional Conservatory. In 1999 and 2000, he won two national trumpet competitions, and the jury of the Paris Regional Conservatory unanimously awarded him first prize in 2000. At age nineteen, he joined the class of Antoine Curé at the French National Conservatory, Paris. Maalouf was unanimously awarded first prize of the European Interpretation Competition in Moulins, France, in March of 2001. He has held the title of Lauréat of the French Cziffra Foundation and of FMAJI (Festival of Young Musicians).

In 2002, he won first prize in the Second International Trumpet Competition in Pilisvörösvár, Hungary. That same year, he won first prize in the National Trumpet Competition held at James Madison University in the United States. In August of 2002, Maalouf won third prize in The Second Raimo Sarmas International Trumpet Competition in Lieksa, Finland, and in October 2003 was awarded second prize in The Fifth Maurice André Trumpet Competition. In May of 2003, Maalouf was invited to perform a full recital before the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2005 he was named Laureate of the European Foundation for Culture Pro Europa. Maalouf’s first solo CD will be released in 2006.

On Tuesday, November 8th, Maalouf performed the Haydn Concerto with members of the KSU Symphony Band under the direction of Frank Tracz. A near-capacity audience in All Faiths Chapel enjoyed his effortless technique, elegant phrasing, and impeccable style. Maalouf’s creative cadenza in the first movement was especially noteworthy in its innovative shape and design. At the conclusion of the concerto, the audience gave the soloist a standing ovation. After a short intermission the KSU Brass Ensemble returned to perform Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Requiem for Our Time, and then Maalouf returned to the stage to present the world premiere of his original work Fanny Trip for Solo Quarter-Tone Trumpet, Brass, and Bassoon. This fifteen-minute, four-movement work, composed specifically for his visit to KSU, featured Arabic, jazz, minimal, funk, hip-hop, salsa, and blues elements that combined to create a stunning array of rhythms and colors that defies description. At several points in the work the accompanying ensemble vamped as Maalouf improvised extended cadenzas over intricate rhythmic and intervallic patterns. At the conclusion of the premiere a standing ovation brought Maalouf back to the stage three times as the audience roared their approval and appreciation! No other work of this type exists in the literature for brass instruments.

On Thursday, November 10th, Maalouf presented a master class for the trumpet students of Gary Mortenson. Performing in the class were Kari Brooks, Virginia Brunner, Andrew Feyes, and Ben Worcester. Maalouf talked about developing musicality, paying attention to details in the music, attacks and releases, singing the music before you play it, response in both the low and high registers, and the appropriate use of vibrato. Repertoire performed in the master class included the work of Bozza, Longinotti, Pennequin, and Vivaldi. That evening Maalouf performed the Oskar Boehme Sextet with the KSU Faculty Brass Quintet to end their program. The Boehme, a work of Romantic sentiment requiring both sensitivity and technique, was the perfect conclusion to the recital. Other members of the sextet included Craig Parker and Gary Mortenson, trumpets; Jacqueline Kerstetter, horn; Elisa Adkison, trombone; and Steven Maxwell, tuba.

The final event of the residency took place on Friday, November 11th, where Ibrahim Maalouf presented experimental music of a type that is completely unique. Using quarter-tone trumpet, piano, and a variety of electronic devices, he created original music, in “real-time,” for a large and appreciative audience that was eager to hear all they could from this rising star. In his introductory remarks Maalouf explained that he would be utilizing electronic devices to record and loop musical lines that would be used as background material for improvisations. The music started softly and with great sensitivity. At various points Maalouf went to the piano to create motivic patterns that were sometimes rhythmic in nature, and at others, melodic. He also used tapping sounds on mutes and sounds derived from the strings of the piano to create percussive effects that were saved and layered into textures around which he would improvise solos on the quarter-tone trumpet. At times the music was somber, reflective, and introspective. At others the level of intensity increased to create a musical frenzy of great power, drive, and heightened emotion. What was especially astonishing was the fact that Maalouf was acting as his own soundman, rhythm section, back-up group, and feature soloist! To be able to juggle so many complex compositional and performance-oriented tasks simultaneously was nothing short of amazing. At the conclusion of his fifty-minute demonstration, he received yet another extended standing ovation.

Ibrahim Maalouf is perhaps one of the most versatile performers to be found anywhere in the world at the present time. The trumpet world can only look forward to the vast possibilities for future growth and development that lay ahead for this truly unique artist as he continues to include the many experiences he has around the world into his creative endeavors.

Websites:
Ibrahim Maalouf (in French and English)
Music at KSU