John Bilezikjian, a masterful player of the Middle Eastern oud whose eclectic career included performances and recordings with Leonard Cohen, Little Richard, Robert Palmer, Luis Miguel and Placido Domingo and programs of traditional Armenian music as well as appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops and Los Angeles Mandolin Orchestra. Bilezikjian’s expressive playing of the oud, a pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to the lute, can be heard in more than 82 film and television soundtracks, including “Schindler’s List” and “The French Connection.” Beyond his mastery of the oud, Bilezikjian’s instrumental virtuosity was extraordinary, reaching from the difficult-to-master 11-string oud to the violin and beyond. The music that attracted Bilezikjian’s interest was equally far reaching. “I have no restrictions,” he told The Times, describing a concert in which he played Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and a medley of themes from “Chariots of Fire,” “E.T.” and “Star Wars.” Bilezikjian’s audience was worldwide, his role as a major figure in the genre of world music affirmed by his authentic interpretations of the music of Armenia, Turkey, the Arab world, Greece, Russia, Israel, Eastern Europe, Spain, Asia, Latin America and beyond. John Haig Bilezikjian was born Feb. 1, 1948, in Los Angeles to Armenian parents and a musical family environment. Bilezikjian died Jan. 19, 2015 at his home Mission Viejo after a long bout with kidney disease, he was 66.