Saved by a Violin

Ara Malikian, a musician of Armenian descent, reveals how the instrument has played a key role in his family's history over the generations

Between 1915 and 1918, many Christian Armenians were killed but one young man survived thanks to a violin. He didn't know how to use it, but thanks to that instrument, which was given by a friend, he could pretend to be part of an ensemble that was going on tour and therefore he escaped to Lebanon.

More than a century later, the young man's grandson, Ara Malikian, plays the violin around the globe and will make his debut in China with a recital in Beijing on Jan 21.