Music legend Jean Michel Jarre to perform in Sofia in October 2011

Jean Michel Jarre, credited as one of the most influential modern electronic music artist, will have the first gig at Arena Sofia hall on October 9 2011, at 8 pm.

Organisers Sofia Music Enterprises have promised a unique show that will put Arena Sofia hall on Europe's concert map.

The new multifunctional hall, now in the final stages of construction, has been built to host sports events and rock, pop concerts, circus performances and other types of shows. Thanks to its construction flexibility, Arena Sofia hall easily change its capacity from 3000 to 18 000 people.

"
The cosmic"
performance of the French electronic music legend will be one of the most important events in Bulgaria's music calendar in 2011. Multimedia and electronic sound will mix to create a unique performance that will be seen by 10 000 people.

The organisers say that there will be no standing area as chairs will be placed in the sports field area.

Bulgaria is part of Jarre's European tour, which will include Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Poland, Austria and Switzerland.

Tickets, priced at between 40 and 100 leva, will be available at ticketpro.bg and at Arena Sofia Hall from August 1. Ticket sales by ticketpro.bg partners, which include Piccadilly, Office One Superstore and Orange chains, will start from July 17.

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Jean-Michel Jarre, the French legend of electronic music, delighted thousands of fans during his first concert on Bulgarian soil on Sunday.

Even though the gig began 50 minutes later than initially announced, it was described as a success by the excited audience and the Bulgarian media. Jarre's concert was accepted as a historical event in Sofia, as it was the first concert to be staged in the city's brand new sports and performance facility "
Arena Armeets"
.

During his performance, Jean-Michel Jarre stated his Sofia visit was emotionally charged, since Bulgaria was among the first countries outside France started appreciating his music. The first letter the prominent musician received from a fan outside France was from Bulgaria, he revealed.

Jarre also declared he dedicated his Sofia gig to current UNESCO head, Bulgarian Irina Bokova.

Jean-Michel Jarre (born August 24, 1948) is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, synthpop, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organizer of outdoor concerts, featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.

Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and grandparents, and trained on the piano. From an early age he was introduced to a variety of art forms, including those of street performers and jazz musicians. He also played guitar in a band.

His first mainstream success was the 1976 album Oxygen (Oxygene). Recorded in a makeshift studio at his home, the album sold an estimated 12 million copies. Oxygène was followed in 1978 by Equinox (Équinoxe), and in 1979 Jarre performed to a record-breaking audience of more than a million people at the Place de la Concorde, a record he has since broken three times.

Several of his albums have been released to coincide with large-scale outdoor events.

Jarre has sold an estimated 80 million albums and singles. He was the first Western musician to be allowed to perform in the People's Republic of China, and holds the world record for the largest-ever audience at an outdoor event.

The concert in Sofia is part of the 2011 European tour of the French composer and musician.