Biography

Dmitry Malikov was born in Moscow on January 29, 1970 into a famous artistic family. His father, Yuriy Malikov, is the creator and leader of an immensely popular music group “The Precious Gems”. His mother, Ludmila Vyunkova, has had a successful career as a ballet dancer. Since early childhood, Dima was growing up in a creative environment. He would often travel on tours with his parents. The apartment his family occupied in the historic center of Moscow was frequented by talented and famous poets, musicians, and performing artists. Instead of lullabies, the parents would play songs of “The Precious Gems” and later in Dmitry’s life, records of Beatles.

At the age of five, Dmitry began studying piano. As is the case with boys his age, Dima would often prefer a game of soccer or hockey to the long hours spent studying for recitals. Even stern parental discipline did not always prevent him from skipping music classes and enjoying outdoor fun. Back then, the young budding pianist could hardly envision the spell that “piano mania” had cast on him. Dmitry began his solo piano performances while still in music school. When he was 14, he wrote his first song.

Dmitry’s popularity as a pop music artist soared in the late 1980s. In 1990, he already commanded audiences of 18,000 during solo performances at the biggest concert arena in the country, “Olympic Arena” in Moscow. Dmitry extensively toured throughout Russia, former Soviet Union republics, and European countries. His enormous fame attracted the attention of music producers from Western Europe. In 1992 Dmitry recorded a single “Don’t Be Afraid” with a Dutch singer H. Wells, produced at BMG Ariela Media Gmbh.

Despite having a very successful career as a pop singer, Dmitry continued his classic music education. He enrolled at the famous Moscow Conservatory where he received a diploma with honors from the Department of Piano in 1994, having been tutored by some of the best pianists in the world. It was the period of his career when Dmitry successfully toured with his popular show and at the same time, dedicated significant effort to classic music and piano practice.

During a career that has spanned over 20 years, Dmitry Malikov released 14 albums, with a total circulation of more than 20 million copies. He has been bestowed the title of People’s Artist of Russia – the highest national award that signifies extraordinary achievement in music, literature, and art. Many of his songs are blockbuster hits among Russian fans and have received numerous recognition and awards. In 1995 Dmitry won a World Music Award in the category “Best Recording Artist of Eastern Europe”. He has stayed a perennial superstar in Russian show business. Dmitry continues to perform throughout the country and reveals no signs of creative fatigue.

Dmitry is perhaps the only performer in Russia to successfully combine a career as a pop singer with significant achievement in instrumental and classic music. His songs and musical works can be heard on Russian television and radio programs. He composed music for a TV mini-series “And yet I still love…” As a pianist, Dmitry has regularly performed with the world-famous chamber orchestra “Moscow Virtuosi” conducted by Vladimir Spivakov and with “The Moscow Soloists” music ensemble led by Yuriy Bashmet. In 1997 Dmitry Malikov presented a solo piano concert in Stuttgart, and in 2007 he took the stage of the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague, home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. In early 2010 Dmitry, along with a French pianist Richard Clayderman, performed in a joint concert “Love Tunes” on the stage of The Moscow International House of Music.

In 2007, Dmitry created a music project “Piano Mania”, the first large-scale instrumental production in the country that combined rich Russian classical music traditions, performance elements of world-famous symphonic orchestras, ethnic undertones, and contemporary arrangements. The show received critical acclaim and became a breakthrough event of the year in Russian music art. The “Piano Mania” album that was released in March 2007 sold more than 100,000 copies.

Dmitry’s next creation, “Symphonic Mania”, was presented to the public in December 2010. A grandiose show of classic music that featured 140 performing artists, it debuted in France as a pinnacle event during the celebration festivities of “The Year of Russia in France”. The audience was immersed in greatest hits of Russian and international classical music – The Four Seasons, Carmina Burana, Nabucco, Bolero. The stage hosted The Russian Imperial Ballet, the New Opera Theater Orchestra of Moscow, the New Opera Theater Choir, performers from Cirque du Soleil and finally, the pianist and conductor, Dmitry Malikov.

Dmitry’s formal music education, together with extensive experience as a performer, allows him to work in different musical genres. He continues to write songs and instrumental pieces, tours with his pop show, and captivates audiences as a pianist with the best Russian symphony orchestras. His natural charisma, combined with exquisite talent of an outstanding musician, has won him the admiration from grateful listeners, no matter where he plays. In one of his interviews, Dmitry once said: “Each person should follow his own destiny. I believe that my destiny is to compose and perform beautiful music. And I am simply following it… “.