Guitarist Levon
Ichkhanian was born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, of Armenian descent.
He is the son of Edouard Ichkhanian, renown Musical Director of Middle
Eastern artists, nephew to Professor Joseph Ichkhanian, founder of
the classical guitar program at the Beirut Conservatory of Music,
and cousin of Hovannes Darbinian, the world's leading scholar and
performer of the Armenian tar.
A third generation
musician, Levon's first professional performance was at the age of
13. Since then, his musical experiences have expanded to include recording,
composing, producing, touring and music coordinating /contracting.
He has worked with Atom Egoyan, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Peter Murphy,
AR Rahman, and Twyla Tharp. He has performed at the Beijing Olympics
with Dee Dee Bridgewater, the International Guitar Festival of Great
Britain, the All Star Guitar Night in Los Angeles, Midem in Cannes,
for the International Association of Jazz Educators in New York, at
Jazz and Folk festivals across Canada, and Peter Gabriel's WOMAD.
In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, Levon plays world string
instruments, as the Oud, Banjitar and Bouzoukis.
Levon has released
three solo CDs (with featured guests JUNO nominated Alain Caron and
Grammy award winners John Patitucci, Paquito D'Rivera, and Bernard
Purdie) and is presently mixing "Live at the Orbit" to be
released in early 2013.
Levon has played
on over 100 commercially released recordings ranging from Canadian
Idol ‘s Gold certified CD to India's national treasure Hariharan.
He has produced JUNO nominated projects, composed for the likes of
the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, created soundtracks for filmmakers
as environmentalist David Suzuki and was instrumental in the pre-production
development of Choreographer Twyla Tharp's production Come Fly Away
to the music of Frank Sinatra.
Levon founded
Global Village Creative Inc, offering music contracting, coordinating,
performance and production services. Credits include stage productions
(The Lord of the Rings, Jersey Boys, West Side Story, My Fair Lady,
Come Fly Away, Spamalot, Toxic Avenger, Robin Hood, Chicago, Lion
King, Miss Saigon, South Pacific), television productions (CBC's Over
the Rainbow, City TV's Canada's Got Talent, Global Tv's Canada's Walk
of Fame and the Canadian Tenors Gemini Award winning Season of Song
with guests David Foster, Paul Anka, Charice, Jackie Evancho and Justin
Bieber), concerts (Fashion Cares Concert wit special guest Elton John,
Broadway and Beyond featuring Marvin Hamlisch) and Concert Tours (Brian
Wilson's Reimagines Gershwin Tour and Barbra Streisand's Back to Brooklyn
Tour).
Levon is an avid
explorer of improvisation, which forms the basis for his workshops,
master classes and published articles. A recipient of the Governor
General of Canada's acknowledgment for musical excellence and International
Association of Jazz Educator's All Star Jazz Award, he has also been
the cover feature in numerous music magazines.
"A
Guitarist skilled in multiple modes, Levon Ichkhanian wins plaudits
everywhere he plays . . . His often dazzling technique is fortified
by unusual melodic and harmonic abilities and the merging of Mideast
sounds with contemporary jazz accents".
TORONTO STAR
"Travels
is a worthwhile listen for any musician out there. Featuring contributions
from heavyweights such as Alain Caron and Wilson Laurencin, the album
blends many styles seamlessly together for an enjoyable listen"
CANADIAN MUSICIAN MAGAZINE
'Guitarist
Levon Ichkhanian's Armenian Heritage makes his melding of jazz and
world music seam natural . . . a fabulous player"
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
