First Public Performance

March 1977
Der-Hovagimian School
Beirut, Lebanon

Levon is Featured on These Upcoming Releases:

JERSEY BOYS Toronto Ends on High Note:
Two Year Run with Over One Million Attendees

A Jake and A Tom

A short film about two turkey hunters and the turkeys that they are hunting

by
West Hyler
www.westhyler.com

Join Twitter and Facebook for more

Production
Corey Moosa
Producer
David Donar
Producer
Shelley Butler-Hyler
Co-Producer
West Hyler
Director (1st Project); Producer (1st Project)
Writer (1st Project)

Cast
Bo Metcalf
Voice Gender: M
Mark Prudhomme
Voice Gender: F
Steve Rankin
Lead Actor Gender: M
Thomas Hudgins
Supporting Gender: M

Camera
Brad Cassetto
Sound Mixer
Eric Rogers
Cinematographer/DP
Fess Shelton
Key Grip

Art Department
Dirk Hollerman
Production Designer
Paloma Young
Makeup Artist; Hairstylist; Costume Designer

Post Production
Brad Cassetto
Sound Editor 
Caryn Waechter
Editor
Ryan Prestridge
Digital Effects

Composer
Levon Ichkanian

Animation
Ryan Cushman
Animator (1st Project)
Shane Acker
Animation Supervisor

FCM Gala

Peter Bleakney, Jeff Madden, Mayor David Miller, Levon, Logan Medland

Richard Moore, Jon Anderson & Levon

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Kumar has collaborated with a number of renowned musicians like Reeg Deb, Louiz Banks, Selvaganesh, Matt Cooker, Keith Peters, Levon Ichkhanian, Rajesh Vaidya, Sanjay Divecha, Dennis Chambers and Christy Samuel, which of course gives us one more reason to give this a hear.

All Things Axe 2010 - Six Strngs, Infinite Combinations

by Levon Ichkhanian

Monster players from Devin Townsend and John 5 to Pavlo, Rik Emmett, Oscar Lopez and more all take part in this year's edition of Canadian Musician's guitar feature. Join the crew as they talk about technology, technique, and of course, their toys.

2nd Annual
Heart & Vision Celebrating the United Church of Canada’s Commitment to Social Justice

Monday, April 12, 2010
7:00 to 9:15 pm
Metropolitan United Church
56, Queen Street East ( Queen & Church)
Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2Z3
$150/ticket – includes post-performance reception
$95/ticket – performance only
(a charitable receipt will be issued for a portion of the ticket prices)
Join us for an evening of celebration, to honour the life works and commitment to social justice of Cathy Crowe and the Reverend David MacDonald. On April 12th, the Toronto United Church Council will pay tribute to these two social entrepreneurs, both of whom have worked tirelessly to effect change for society’s most vulnerable.
This star-studded tribute will include performances from some of the finest musical performers on Toronto’s stage and screen. Proceeds will benefit 40 Oaks, a Regent Park social housing initiative of the Toronto Christian Resource Centre through Toronto United Church Council’s Community Relief Fund, a partner of church-based social justice initiatives for 118 years.
Featuring:
Gemini and Juno award nominee, Jackie Richardson
Juno award nominee, Danny Brooks
Acclaimed singer and song writer, Monica Schroeder
And From Toronto’s We Will Rock You, Alana Bridgewater

Sam Lutfiyya Tribute Concert

Rehearsals
Concert
John MacMaster	Gail Bliss
Levon	Jeff Madden
Dave Young	Mark Camilleri
Garth Drabinski	Mike Herriott
Jackie Richardson	Liz Baird
Happy Birthday Sam

New Article in Canadian Musician Magazine & California Chronicle

"Ever thought of Theatre?"

Canadian Musician Magazine Digital Edition

California Chronicle Link

Levon will be Performing at the KING TUT GALA
Friday November 20, 2009 7:30 pm
Be the first to experience King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs.

Globe & Mail Article

Read about Levon's "Last Supid Purchase"

Jersey Boys Toronto Production Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary

Jersey Boys Orchestra

Show extented to March 21, 2010

Frankie Valli Concert

Backstage with Frankie Valli

with Frankie's Guitarists Roberto Angelucci and Gary Melvin

Read Levon's Review of the Concert in the National Post

Maryem Tollar
with
Levon Ichkhanian
Alan Hetherington
Ian deSouza
Ernie Tollar
Saba Alemayehu Asfaw
Roula Said
Joanna deSouza

Sunday November 1, 7:15 PM

Vocal Series
Tues. Oct. 13, 2009
12 – 1 p.m.
Maryem Tollar, vocals/qanun/percussion
Ernie Tollar, sax/flutes
Levon Ichkhanian, guitar
Inspired by the Middle East

Critically acclaimed Egyptian-Canadian singer-songwriter Maryem Tollar joins forces with two of Toronto’s leading world musicians, Ernie Tollar (sax/flutes) and Levon Ichkhanian (guitar), in a diverse program of music inspired by the Middle East, ranging from traditional songs, hundreds of years old, to original creations by all three artists.

Opening Night in Atlanta

With Music Production Supervisor Sam Lutfiyya

Estonian artists Marek Talts and Liisi Koikson visit Jersey Boys

A painting by Jean Miller Harding

millerharding.com

Jersey Boys 1 Year Anniversary - Toronto

Aubrey Dan and Bob Gaudio on stage

Bob Gaudio with members of the Toronto Jersey Boys Orchestra

Levon Ichkhanian mp3s now available on iTunes

Canadian Musician Magazine July/August 2009 Issue

Guitar 2009 What It Takes To Succeed by Levon Ichkhanian
Is your life’s ambition to be the best guitarist you can be? Are you dedicated? We couldn’t ask for more committed veteran players than Michel Cusson, Ted Quinlan, Javier Mas, and Mike Francis to give it to you straight.

Heart and Vision...
A Tribute to Visionary Leadership
Monday, May 11, 2009 - 7 pm at Metropolitan United Church, Toronto
Tickets: $150

An evening of celebration, to pay tribute to Norman Jewison and the Reverend Gordon Winch, two devoted activists who have been named to the Order of Canada for their contributions to building a caring, civil society, for their life-long active commitment to raising the human spirit in Toronto and around the world.

Proceeds from this star-studded tribute will go to Council's Community Relief Fund which is fully committed to social housing initiatives for homeless citizens of Toronto.

Levon will share the stage with performers from Toronto’s leading stage productions:
Jackie Richardson
Louise Pitre
Yvan Pedneault
Jennie Such
Alana Bridgewater
Danny Brooks
Thom Allison
and Master of Ceremonies: Don Harron
Toronto United Church council for more information

Levon proudly wears the Armenian National Team jersey

Levon Ichkhanian Jazz Trio

Mother’s Day - Sunday May 10, 7-10pm

Rocco's
2083 Lakeshore Blvd W, Etobicoke, M8V 1A1
(416) 251-5100
Reservations Recommended

10 Via Renzo Drive, Richmond Hill L4S 0B6
Tickets (905) 770-5222
www.cosmomusic.ca

Article in York Region.com

50-Cent Triangle Coin - Six String Nation Guitar (2009)

This coin will strike a chord with all Canadians. Music lovers will quickly notice how it’s shaped like a guitar pick—the perfect tie-in to the Six String Nation Guitar. The brainchild of broadcaster Jowi Taylor, this one-of-a-kind instrument is made of wood, bone, metal and stone from across the country.

Highlights: Crafted with the distinctive specimen finish, its design evokes the beauty of a hand-crafted guitar, complete with guitar strings “resonating” inside the selective hologram.

Reverse: The inlaid maple leaf and intricately crafted representation of the Six String Nation Guitar with a selective hologram of the logo used to symbolize its six strings.

Concert at Pathways Church

April 12, 10.30 a.m.
with Ilios steryannis, Jason Jestadt, Jaswinder Singh, Anwar Khurshid and Brenda Macintyre

Anne Michaels Book Launch

at the Art Gallery of Ontario - March 30, 2009

The long-awaited novel by the internationally celebrated author of Fugitive Pieces, the debut novel that catapulted Anne Michaels into the forefront of literary superstars.

Live Video From Performances on CBC

with Lenny Graf , Richard Uglow, Colin Barrett, Jim Gelcer and Levon at 16
1980

Levon Recorded on Chris Church's Upcoming Release

featuring Maryem Tollar, Mary Jane Lamond and others

Levon produced and performed on this 2009 JUNO nominated CD

Levon performed on this 2009 JUNO nominated CD

Jersey Boys Toronto New Year's Eve Performance 
Nathan Philips Square

Backstage

Enroute with police escort

Happy New Year with Logan Medland

Watch The Performance

Levon currently performing

in the premier Canadian production of Jersey Boys.

jerseyboystoronto.com

Muzik Etc Magazine

Cover Feature

Available at your local music store

www.muziketc.ca

Maryem Tollar Ensemble CD Release

"Cairo to Toronto"

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre. 235 Queens Quay West.

Box Office 416-973-4000

www.maryemtollar.com

Read Article

Maryem Tollar group

Canwest Cabaret Festival

Saturday October 4, 4.15 p.m.

Sunday October 5, 8.30 p.m.

Soulpepper young centre of the arts

youngecentre.ca

Marvin Hamlisch and Simon Spiro

Broadway and Beyond

with a 37 piece orchestra

Tuesday September. 19, 2008

Beth Tzedek

1700 Bathurst street

Ticketmaster

416-781-3514 x.7

Canon Theatre

Toronto

September 9 to October 5

New Godin Gear

This Godin touring case has a handle, wheels and you can fit your guitar in a gig bag inside it.

Best of both worlds!

with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Toronto Sun

All About Jazz

eJazz News

York Region Newspapers

July/August Issue on Stands Now

State Of Bass In 2008 by Levon Ichkhanian
Featuring Esperanza Spalding, George Koller, Jimmy Haslip, and Benny Rietveld.

A Song Is Born
Mitch Smolkin launches debut CD at Ashkenaz Festival

A collective of musicians assembled from around the world augments Mitch Smolkin’s powerful vocals. They include a striking diversity of talents, forging a broad range of cultural traditions from three continents. This includes the playing and vision of producer and guitarist Levon Ichkhanian, the inimitable duo of Marcelo Moguilevsky and Cesar Lerner from Buenos Aires, the multi-instrumental genius of British Columbia based Boris Sichon, the improvisatory flare of Berlin based trumpeter Paul Brody, and the vocals of Toronto based songstress Aviva Chernik. 

Saturday August 30, 7:00 p.m., in the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront Centre. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door, available from the Harbourfront Centre box office at 416-973-4000 or online at www.harbourfrontcentre.com.

Brottmusic Festival

The Maryem Tollar Ensemble

Blue Skies Festival in Clarendon, Ontario
AUGUST 3, 2008
Maryem Tollar - vocals, qanun
Ernie Tollar - flutes, sax
Levon Ichkhanian - guitar
Ian de Souza - bass
Alan Hetherington - percussion

SPAMALOT

Aug 5 – 11
Calgary Centre of the Arts

July 3 – 20
Vancouver Centre of the Arts

Maryem Tollar and Cairo-Toronto Collective

Ottawa Chamber Music Festival
JULY 28,29, 2008

Maryem Tollar and Cairo-Toronto Collective

Glenn Gould Studio
JUNE 22 2008 - 8 pm
with special guest artists from Egypt:
oud and violin master Alfred Gamil
virtuoso vocalist, violin and oud player Mohamed Aly
And local guests:
Bassam Bishara - oud
Levon Ichkhanian - guitar
Debashis Sinha - percussion
Alan Hetherington - percussion

Alfred Gamil

Mohamed Aly

Leonard Cohen

Javier Mas

Cosmo Mega Music Store Grand Opening

Alain Caron

Levon Ichkhanian Group

at the Rex

Saturday May 17, 2008

Matt Horner (Keys), Wilson Laurencin (Drums), Andrew Stewart (Bass), Joaquin Hidalgo (Perc),

With Special Guests

Peter Lutek (Sax), Maryem Tollar (Voice)

Listen to the Performance on CBC Radio 2 Concerts On Demand

Photos by Marek Majewski

Canadian Musician Magazine May/June Issue

Guitar 2008 by Levon Ichkhanian
Top-level guitarists give you the goods on gear and professional success.

An Evening with

Ola Turkiewicz - vocals

Marek Majewski , Levon Ichkhanian- Guitars

Friday April 25, 8.00 p.m.

Consulate General of the Republic of Poland

2603 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Toronto, Ontario M8V 1G5

Phone: (416) 252-5471

MEMORIES OF THE KING

April 20, 2008

Rose Theatre Brampton

Live at The Pilot

April 13, 2008

See Live Footage: "Siroun"

Photos by Marek Lazarski
www.cooljazzphotos.com

Working the corporate gigs

by Levon

Interviews of George St. Kitts, Orin Issacs, Danny Pathan, Paul Lamoureux, Richard Maslove, Tony Carlucci

3 Mo' Divas Opening Night

Ramona Dunlop, Levon, Marion J. Caffey, DeVonna Lawrence, Nova Y. Payton, Sipho Kunene, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Laurice Lanier.

Three Mo' Divas

March 4-16

@ The Wintergarden Theatre

189 Yonge street

www.threemodivas.com

Band members:

Anastasia Victory, Dave Young, John Coffee, Steve Hunter, Sipho Kunene and Levon

Maestro Paco Pena

Massey Hall

Frank Botos Quintet

with

Robi Botos, Attila Darvas, Chris Gale and Levon.

@The Rex

Friday February 15

9.30 p.m.

SAMBA SQUAD

February 1

@ the Lula Lounge

9.30 p.m.

Robi Botos Quartet

@ The Pilot

Clinic

Park Street Collegiate, Orillia

Featuring

Anwar Khurshid, Brenda MacIntyre, Levon Ichkanian, Jennie Such
Simone Soman, Billy Newton Davis, Danny Brooks and David Rosen

The Language of the Heart

by Andrew Moodie

Workshop

Factory Theatre

125 Bathurst street, Toronto

Dec 14, 15, 16

Reading - Sunday December 16, 8.00 p.m.

Rick Shadrach Lazar's

SAMBA SQUAD

DVD release party

With guests: Alberto Alberto, Eliana Cuevas, Laura Mae Lindo, Gord Sheard Ben Grossman and Levon

Sunday December 2, 8.00 p.m.

Concert for the lead gift in support of the Dr. Jean Augustine Chair in Education.
Gesu Amphitheatre, 1200 Bleury Street, Montreal , Quebec Call (514) 352-8775 , (514) 620-6612

The Robi Botos Quartet

Atilla Darvas- Bass, Frank Botos - Drums, Robi Botos - Keys, Levon Ichkhanian - Guitar/Vocals

22 Cumberland Street, Toronto

Isabel Bayrakdarian

With Serouj Kradjian, Fabian Carbone, Marie Berard, Roman Borys, Roberto Occhipinti. Shalom Bard, Daniel Bolshoy, Levon Ichkhanian.

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson
August 25 1925 - December 23 2007

November 13, 2007

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Session Gigs Article

with Greg Phillinganes, Steve Lukather, Nathan East and Shawn Pelton

Interviewed by Levon

Festival Arabe De Montreal

Thursday November 8, 2007, 8.00 P.M.

Jeudi 8 novembre à 20h00. Théâtre Maisonneuve, Prix du billet : 29 $, 39 $, taxes et redevances en sus
Rés. : Place des Arts 514- 842 2112 / www.pda.qc.ca ou Admission 514-790 1245 / www.admission.com

Trois quartettes dirigés par Wajdi Cherif, Bassam Saba, Levon Ickhanian (Tunisie, États-Unis, Ontario). Une présentation de Radio Couleur Jazz

Friday November 2, 2007

7.30 p.m.

Rose Theatre, Brampton

Wednesday. October 17, 6.00 p.m.

Ryesrson University

350 Victoria street

Featuring: Andrew Stewart, Larnel Lewis, Levon

Mitchell Leonard Smolkin
A Nign Iz Geboyrn - A Song Is Born
Saturday October 6th 2007 - 8:00pm
Al Green Theatre
For Tickets - 416-924-6211 ext. 0

With international guests:
Klezmer En Buenos Aires - Argentina
Pianist - Cesar Lerner
Clarinetist - Marcelo Moguilevsky
Trumpeter - Paul Brody - Berlin
Multi Instrumentalist - Boris Sichon - British Columbia
Guitarist - Levon Ichkhanian - Toronto
Vocalist - Aviva Chernik - Toronto

Nuit Blanche

Saturday, September 29th.
HUBA, BRAVO tent

(University /Bloor, across from the Royal Ontario Museum)

10.00 p.m.

WORLD ON A STRING

Friday, September 28 @ 8:00
Enwave Theatre
$20 advance / $25 door

A quintessentially Canadian cross-cultural collaboration, the concert features such sublime talents as Rich Brown, Aditya Verma, Levon Ichkanian, Amir Koushkani and Mansa Sissoko on instruments ranging from sintir and oud, to setar, banjo, kora, guitar, sarod and more.

Listen to this performance on CBC Radio 2 Concerts in Demand

Guitar article

Master Tele picker Steve Piticco Interviewed by Levon for the Candian Musican magazine

Book Launch

Ambivalence by Jonathan Garfinkel

Music by MEDINA with special Guest Roula Said

Gladstone Hotel

1214 Queen Street West, Toronto

Sept 18, 7.00 p.m.

Taste of the Kingsway

with Demo Cates/Stan Fomin

Sat, Sept. 8, 8.00 p.m.

Wave 94.7 Jazz stage

www.sixstringnation.com

HARIHARAN

Waqt Par Bolna

CD Launch, Mumbai

Hariharan, A.R.Rahman

Levon Contributed on a multitude of guitars and plucked world string instruments on Hariharan's Urdu BluesCD

with Liberty Silver/Eddie Bullen

Friday August 10, 8.30 p.m.

www.oldmilltoronto.com

BASS FEATURE ARTICLE

by Levon

Jazz at the Blue(mountain), Aug 4, 7.00 p.m.

The Courthouse , Aug 3, 8.00 p.m.

Collingwood Jazz, Aug 1, 7.00 p.m.

with

Eddie Bullen/Marisa Lindsay

OTTAWA CHAMBER FEST

July 31, 2.00 p.m.

Christ Church Cathedral

Maryem Tollar, Ernie Tollar, Alan Hetherington, Levon

Eddie Bullen and Friends

Sunday July 29, 7.00 p.m.

at the Distillery, Toronto

with Marisa Lindsay

Friday July 20, 6.00 p.m.

Mainstage

Sketch by Podi Lawrence

from the Waterloo Jazz Festival performance

Siva Mani

Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Waterloo Jazz Festival

Levon Ichkhanian Group

Friday July 13, 7.30p.m.

Mainsatge

BC Tour

Maryem Tollar & Ehab Lotayef

July 5 - WISE HALL, Vancouver B.C.
July 7 - Our Way Home Reunion - Peace Conference, Castlegar, BC
July 8 - Harrison Hotsprings Festival for the Arts, Harrison Hotsprings, BC - outdoor stage
July 9 - Harrison Hotsprings Festival for the Arts, Literary Night

Toronto Jazz Festival

Photo courtesy of www.cooljazzphotos.com

Friday June 29, 4.00 p.m.

Primus stage, Nathan Philips square

(Queen/Bay)

Levon Ichkhanian Group

featuring

Wilson Laurencin, Andrew Stewart, Matt Horner and Joaquin Hidalgo

Polo For Heart

Sunday June 24, 1.00 p.m.

Gormley Polo Centre

with

Arturo Tappin

Bruce Skerrit, Wilson Laurencin, Rhea, Arturo Tappin, Levon, Roger Williams

Ottawa Jazz Festival

with Marisa Lindsay

June 22, 6.30 P.M.

Mainstage

GUITAR FEATURE ARTICLE

by Levon

Sandor Szabo(Jazz guitarist from Hungary)

Levon Ichkhanian Group

Sunday June 17, 2.30 p.m.

Heritage Park.

With Marisa Lindsay

Saturday June 16, 2.30 p.m.

Mainstage

Guitar Clinic

Wednesday June 13, 7.00 p.m.

Music Pro

Barrie, Ontario

26 Barrie View Dr.

(705)725-1070

With Gioumar Campbell

June 9

Luminato Tent

9.30 p.m.

Eddie Bullen and friends

May 31, 8.30 p.m.

Deepak Chopra

Godin Guitars Ad

Aviva Chernick, Chris Gartner, Levon Ichkhanian

Wednesday April 18, 9.00 p.m.

Red Festival

www.lula.ca

Funky Drummer

Mr. Clyde Stubblefield(James Brown)

Angelique Kidjo

Rubens De La Corte - Guitarist

Winnipeg New Music Festival

Maryem Tollar, Ernie Tollar, Sinha, Levon Ichkhanian

Garrick Theatre, Feb 15, 7.30 P.M.

Marissa Lindsay

Christmas CD

Liberty Silver

Tamara Volskaya

Domra Master

Isabel Bayrakdarian & Serouj Kradjian

Waterloo Entertainment Centre

Trichy Sankaran

Mrdangam Vidwan

Levon, Trichy Sankaran, Joy

Masquerade Ball

?, Levon

Robert Amirkhanian

President, Armenian Composers Guild
with Seda Amirkarayan (singer)

AYC Toronto concert

Liberty Silver

Christmas CD Recording session

Sasha Luminsky & String Quartet

Recording Session

Paul Simon Tour

Mr Jerry Douglas

Wilson Laurencin's "Speechless Power Trio" Drum Clinic
Merriam School of Music

Levon, Wilson, Pat Kilbride

New Samba Squad "Batuque"

with guests Alberto Alberto, Eliana Cuevas, Jason Jackson,
Lara Mae Lindo, Gordon Sheard, Armando Borg, Maninho Costa,
Humberto Goncalves and Levon
www.sambasquad.com

San Fernando Jazz Festival, Trinidad

Arrival

soundcheck

View from the Jazz Hill

Leaving

The Mediterraneans

Kristi Muhling
Master of the Estonian Kannel

South African Women for Women honours
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at
10TH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY

September 16
6:00 p.m.
MARS Centre
101 College Street
Toronto, Ontario

House Band

.

Measha Brueggergosman

Clifton Joseph

Jazzy Boat Cruise

Eddie Bullen, Anselem Douglas, Liberty Silver, Demo Cates, Johnny Bullen, Levon, Andrew Stewart

Photos by Larry Lee

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones

Jeff Coffin

Charles Aznavour

World Premiere - Sasha Luminsky & String Quartet

Johnathan Craig, Wendy Solomon, Sasha, Pat Kilbride, Bogdan Djukic & Levon

Live at the Kingsway

Liberty Silver sitting in with Kush

Lord Of The Rings Wrap Up

Rebecca Mendoza Jackson - "Galadriel"

LOTR orchestra members' Cigar Moment



Anne Lindsay, Levon, Amy Laing 



Nick Coulter, David Quakenbush, Pat Kilbride, Levon

MIAC 2006

with Lilliana of Saga Musical Instruments,
Makers of Levon's Celtic Bouzouki



with Joaquin Hidalgo and Wilson Laurencin

LOTR "Green" Room

Montreal Jazz Fest Pays Tribute to Robert Godin

Matt Horner, Wilson Laurencin, Andrew Stewart & Levon


Levon Ichkhanian Quartet - Théâtre Jean-Duceppe -  Place des Arts



photos by Katherine Calder Becker



backstage with Peppino D'Agostino




Click Here for More Godin Tribute Performance Picts

Levon Ichkhanian Quartet Carrefore - General Motors Stage

photos by Katherine Calder Becker

Click Here for More Montreal Jazz Fest Performance Picts

Levon Ichkanian Quartet at the Tuborg Stage
with Gord Sheard, Joaquin Hidalgo and Andrew Stewart


Nathan Phillips Square with Barry Romberg, Steve Donald & Peter Lutek

Jane Jacobs Memorial Celebration

with David Buchbinder & Daniel Barnes

with Moses Znaimer following a performance

Babak Amini

Photo by Amir Manbachi

Canadian Musician 2006 Guitar Summit

Feature article written by Levon based on his interviews with
Sting's Dominic Miller, Billy Idol's Steve Stevens, 
Oscar Peterson's Ulf Wakenius, Chick Corea's Frank Gambale,
Marc Anthony's Aaron Mclain . . .

LULA WORLD 2006: RAQUY AND THE CAVEMEN

Wednesday May 10 2006
Doors @ 7:00pm, Show @ 8:30pm, Admission $12, $50 dinner and show package.
Direct from NYC. The future of Middle Eastern percussion music goes back to the Cavemen.

With special guests David Buchbinder, Levon Ichkhanian and John Johnson.

New Feature Article

read the article

From the depths of Middle-Earth….Levon Ichkhanian

interview by Karen Ages
By the time you read this, the new Mirvish Lord of the Rings will have been playing for about two weeks. The music is unusual in that it was composed by three “camps” so to speak: A.R. Rahman (India), the Finnish group Vårttinå and British composer Chris Nightingale, who put it all together. (Tolkien is thought to have been inspired by Finnish folk-epic the “Kalevala” for his story).
 
I spoke with Levon Ichkhanian, one of the musicians in the pit orchestra, itself an unusual combination of instruments and musical personalities. Levon is known to many as guitar side-man with many local and international musicians, including Maryem Tollar and Peter Murphy. Recently, he also travelled with Rings composer Rahman, one of India’s foremost film composers, on his “3D World Tour” of India, Singapore and the UK. “We started rehearsals in Chennai, where we learned 50 or 60 tunes from his movies. On tour, the singers were the actual singers from the soundtracks, whom you don’t actually see in the movies, as the actors are lip-syncing to them. There were many singers, dancers and musicians on stage for these shows, with images projected on huge screens behind them. The audience wore special glasses to get the 3D effect.”
 
Levon was born to Armenian parents in Beirut, Lebanon. Three of his uncles were guitarists and his father was the music director for many middle-eastern singers. He came to Canada at age 12, and played his first professional gig a year later. Since then (he’ll be 42 this month) he seems to have led a charmed life with many musical and creative opportunities coming his way. In addition to his three solo CDs, he has played on numerous commercial recordings, film soundtracks, (including scoring the music for one of Atom Egoyan’s early films) and has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe.

 
Of his most recent tour, with Rahman, “it was like going to heaven and back!” he says. “These singers could sing just one phrase and make you cry....getting to meet and hang out with esteemed musicians I’ve long admired, especially in India, and the travel component, and on top of that, getting paid for it all, it was like winning the lottery! The whole tour was like that, one great thing after another.”
 
And now down in the pit at the Princess of Wales, he’s excited by this new adventure. “I’m fascinated by the whole process, it’s my first time doing anything like this.” He’s part of the “folk band” component of the orchestra, which consists of himself on Celtic Bouzouki, Anne Lindsay (violin, nickel harp, jouhikko) and Sasha Luminsky (accordion). The rest of the orchestra consists of a multitude of percussion instruments, brass, strings, keyboards, and a variety of different flutes played by Les Alt. I asked him about the music itself, whether it was Rahman for some scenes, Vårttinå for others (the music was mainly composed by their bouzouki player), Nightingale, etc. “It’s very hard to answer”, says Levon. “The music has been truly married together; it’s kind of like looking at your kids and seeing a bit of yourself, your spouse, your mother-in-law etc. The music is a true hybrid and Chris Nightingale (orchestrator) had the challenge of putting it all together. We’ve got classical players, folk and jazz elements, all held together by conductor Rick Fox”.
 
I asked Levon if he’d had a chance to see any of the production. “Yes, sometimes in rehearsal we’d get a chance to go up into the theatre and watch, and it’s really something, the sets and effects are truly unbelievable! It’s like there’s this whole other world at the Princess of Wales theatre; when I go in there, the outside world is shut off and I’m suddenly in Middle-Earth; it’s such a living thing, and I’m having so much fun!”
 
For more about Levon Ichkhanian, visit his website: www.levonmusic.com

LEVON ICHKHANIAN'S GONE GLOBAL

He is one of the most driven artists ever to have appeared in the pages of Muzik Etc magazine. He just can't stop creating! Recently he's been on a slew of albums; he's toured the world with A.R. Rahman; he's maintained his own band plus the World Music Ensemble; he's done clinics spanning from his native Toronto right across the Atlantic Ocean. Whether it's global, performing in Singapore, or local, participating in a concert to support striking CBC workers, Levon is there. He also figures highly in the world music component of the Toronto presentation of The Lord of the Rings.

LEVON ICHKHANIAN A L'ECHELLE MONDIALE

C'est un des artistes les plus dynamiques qui aient apparu dans les pages de Muzik Etc. Il new peut juste pas s'arreter des creer! Dernierrement, il a joue sur un nombre phenomenal d'albums, il est partien tournee mondiale avec A.R. Rahman, il a donne des concerts avec son groupe ainsi qu'avec le World Music Ensemble et il a voyage de Toronto jusqu'a l'Atlantique pour donner des ateliers. Qu'il s'agisse de partiper a un concert a Singapore ou pour encourager les emplyes en greve de CBC a Toronto, on peut compter sure Levon. Il se fera qussi remarquer pour sa musique lors de las presentation a Toronto du Seigneur des Anneaux.

With Rick Shadrach Lazar

at the Lula Lounge

Session with Donald Quan

@ Q Music

CBC - Sounds Like Canada
with Shelagh Rogers

JUNO Nomination

Shurum Burum "Jazz Circus"

Lord of the Rings

Levon's currently in the LOTR Orchestra

with Janne Lappalainen
from the band "Varttina"

Hanging with Jason Hook
(Guitarist with Hilary Duff)

at the ACC

Levon contributed to the music of

Rang De Basanti

Starring:  Amir Khan
Director: Rakyesh Mehra
Music by A.R. Rahman

James Brown Guitarists

Darryl Brown, Levon, Damon Wood, Keith Jenkins

Nelson Mandela Fundraiser

with Benjamin Nhassavelle
Guitarist from "UMOJA"

A.R. Rahman Tour

en route to Paris

Dubai

pre-show with great singer, Kailash Kher, in Palace Grounds, Bangalore, India

Concert to Support CBC Staff

with TGIF

Kathleen Kajioka, Abu Joska (Ernie Tollar), Abu Edouard (Levon) and SINHA

York University Department of Music

presents
Music at Midday

Rick Shadrach Lazar, Ernie Tollar, Rich Browm and Levon
Wed. Sept 28, 2005 12:30-1:30

4700 Keele St - McLaughlin Performance Hall

A.R. Rahman Tour (Singapore)

soundcheck

lantern garden

Time in Hong Kong Airport

Mediterranean Cafe

at the Music Garden

New CD

Levon is featured on a track with Maryem Tollar and Band

Levon Ichkhanian's
"Cafe Mediterrane"

A celebration of music from the shores of the Mediterranean
Performed on traditional stringed instruments:
Oud, Bouzouki, Banjitar

Levon Ichkhanian (plucked stringed instruments)
Gordon Sheard (accordion)
Ernie Tollar (woodwinds)
Wilson Laurencin (percussion)
Attila Darvas (contrabass)

Harbourfront Centre's
Toronto Music Garden

Sunday, Sept 11, 2005
4pm

"Chennai" Photo Essay

Telata Concert

Mardi Gras Carnival, Hamliton

The Eddie Bullen Band

Liberty Silver

(photos by Larry Lee)

England

A.R. Rahman
BlaaZe		Hariharan
Sivamani		Alma Ferovich
Srinivasa Murthy	Shankar Mahadevan	Daler Mehndi

Also Featuring: Udit Narayan

India

on the way to rehearsal for A.R. Rahman World Tour
Ride	Shankar, Selvaganesh & Makesh Vinayakram
Keith Peters, T.H. Vikku	U Srinivas, U Rajesh

Mariposa Folk Festival

Toronto Jazz Festival

l

Lhasa De Sela

Barrie Jazz & Blues Festival

In Session

Soundtrack Recording for Whole New Thing
A film By Amnon Buchbinder

NBA Awards

Canadian Musician Feature Article

Read the feature article in June's issue of Canadian Musician Magazine, written by Levon. This feature highlights the experience and advice of 16 top Canadian guitarists of diverse backgrounds, each recognized as a leader in their respective fields.

Guelph Spring Music Fesitval with Maria Antonakos

Phillip Stanger, Levon, Ernie Tollar, Maria and Wilson Laurencin

Premiere of "World Wasla"
by Ernest P. Tollar

at the Music Gallery

Eli Kassner's Guitar Academy

Master Classical Guitarist
Remi Boucher

Jamming with Ryszard Styla
Jazz Guitarist from Warsaw, Poland

An Evening of Improvisation

with Ian DeSouza (bass) and Ritesh Das (tabla)

Performance on JUNO Nominated Mediterranean Nights

Vehkavaara & Piltch (Avalon *Universal)

Nominated for the Instrumental Album of the Year (2005)

Performance in Erin, Ontario

Levon, Yvette Tollar & Tanya Gill

Montreal

Lasido (Godin Guitar Co) visit.  Photo by Katherine Calder Becker

"Radom Access" CD Release at the Rex

with Geoff Young, Kelly Jefferson, Kevin Turcotte, Blair Mackay, Rich Brown, Barry Romberg & Levon

Barry Romberg's Random Access Part 3

featuring:
Barry Romberg, Hugh Marsh, Geoff Young,
Kevin Turcotte, Kelly Jefferson,
Rich Brown, Kieran Overs,
Adrean Farrugia, Greg De Denus & Levon

www.barryromberg.com

New Release by Maryem Tollar

featuring:
Maryem, Ernie and Omneya Lily Tollar,
Levon, Rich Brown
Debashis Sinha, Rick Shadrack Lazar,
Daniel Barnes, Mark Duggan, Ravi Naimpally,
Kathleen Kajioka, Jayne Brown,
Sophia Grigoriadias, Yvette Tollar

maryemtollar.com

Le Festival Du Monde Arabe de Montreal

Rich Brown, Maryem, Ernie Tollar, Deb Sinha, Levon

Guitar Duets

 Colin Campbell
 jamming since 1979

Long & McQuade Clinic

North York, Friday October 9th

New Jazz Guitar Site

Levon has been added to this new and informative site.

October 6 - 17

jazzcircus.com

Musicians
Parmela Attariwala
David Buchbinder
Rob Clutton
Pol Cousee
Stephen Donald
Greg de Denus
Levon Ichkhanian
Bridget Lamarche
Peter Lutek
Carina Reeves
Barry Romberg

Circus/Movement Artists
Stacy Clark Baisley
Kayt Lucas
Michael Flynn
Aigul Memet
Gulnar Wayit
Sabrina Pringle
Roula Said


photo by Michael Linestsky

Samba Squad "the movie"

Scenes from the Shoot
Backdrop artwork by Kurt Swinghammer

Caught in the Act

EnRoute to play at the Drake, party venue for the Toronto International Film Fesitval
(thank you Antonella for the surprise photo!)

London Guitar Shop in conjuntion with D'Addario Canada presented Levon Ichkhanian

Saturday September 11, 2004
at the
London Guitar Shop
364 Richmond St

Ashkenaz Music Festival Moments

Levon, Roula Said and Daniel Barnes

Yvette Tollar, Roula & Levon

with Rita di Ghent and Yvette

with Raquy

Appreciative Audience

with Brian Katz

MIAC Show Moments

D'Addario

Robert Godin

Mark Kelso, Wilson, Levon & Ralph Angellilo

Wilson, Ray Williams and Levon

Taste of the Danforth 2004

Traditional Greek Music
produced by Dino Carambelas

Levon guests with guitar and oud on the CD

Souxou Mouxou Band Members:
Andreas Andreopoulos
Stefanos Hatzistefanou
Anne Thompson
Nikos Papagiannopoulos
Dino Carambelas
www.souxoumouxou.com

Toronto Music Garden

Terry McKenna, Kathleen Kajioka, Levon and Ben Grossman and at the Toronto Music Garden

New Award

The Hamazkayin Association presented Levon with a Commendment Award at their 75th Anniversary Celebration

Soulpepper Theatre Company

Gear from my involvement in a play development workshop for Soulpepper Theatre Company

Video Shoot

Outake photo from the video shoot to the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band's single "Shekine" on their new release "Sweet Return", directed by Jesse Rosensweet.

Clinic

Long & McQuade in conjunction with D'Addario Canada warmly welcomed Levon to Stratford on June 26, 2004

Levon is featured on Rick Shadrach Lazar's Montuno Police new CD "Nomads".

www.montunopolice.com

Levon is interviewed for Musico Pro's May issue.

www.musicopro.com

Levon is on the new CD by bassist, chapman stickman and Peter Murphy bandmate Fergus Marsh.

Available through: fergus@bellnet.ca

A comedic moment with the one and only "Nug" on the Toronto Show

photo by: Shamakah Ali

Levon joins

Catherine Manoukian

Isabel Bayrakdarian

Peter Oundjian

Atom Egoyan

and

Arsinee Khanjian

on the cover feature of Horizon Magazine

Grooving with Rick Shadrach Lazar's Samba Squad

sambasquad.com

photos by: asifquadir@hotmail.com

New Release
By Czech Born Singer-Songwriter
Lenka

Featuring Levon, Sasha Luminsky, George Koller, Ernie Tollar, Kathleen Kajioka, Roberta Jensen, Rick Shadrach Lazar, Eric Stein and Wilson Laurencin.

World Music CD Produced by Levon

www.lenkalichtenberg.com

In the Works

Holding the body of Signature Model Nylon Classical built by Master Luthier Michael McConville of Stratford

www.stringtech.on.ca

Mandoguitar!

A new mandolin from Goldtone Instruments

This unique mandolin has 6 strings and is tuned an octave higher than the guitar.

www.goldtone.com

Performances

An impromptu photo from the Barrie Jazz & Blues Festival with my group featuring: Attila Darvas, Wilson Laurencin and Robert Botos. Thank you all for coming out to my jazz fesitval performances and guitar clinics throughout Canada. It was great seeing some familiar faces and meeting new friends.

Catch Levon Live on TV every Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10pm and Sunday 8pm as part of the T Dot All Stars house band on Toronto 1's variety show "The Toronto Show".

Idolmania

Levon contribued to Canadian Idols certfied gold CD

New Posters

From Monster Cable, the world's leading manufacturer of cables

www.monstercable.com

Recent "travels" CD Review

Featuring:

Alain Caron, George Koller, Patrick Killbride
Matt Horner, Gordon Sheard, Anthony Panacci
John Johnson, Ernie Tollar
Wilson Laurencin, Mario Melo

All Music Guide to Jazz

Fusion as we knew it in the '70s hasn't disappeared, but it isn't as plentiful as it was back then — for every new fusionist who comes along, there are a lot more people playing smooth jazz and crossover jazz. Levon Ichkhanian is among the guitarists who, in the '90s and 2000s, has done his part to keep fusion alive. It isn't hard to see why his second album is called Travels; this sophomore outing, like his 1996 debut, After Hours, has a very global, multicultural outlook. Travels underscores the Toronto-based Ichkhanian's interest in Latin music (Afro-Cuban and Spanish as well as Brazilian), but it also incorporates elements of Middle Eastern music — which isn't surprising when you consider his background. When a musician is born in Lebanon and is of Armenian descent — and when his father is a well-respected pianist who has a long history of working with Armenian pop singers — it stands to reason that some of that Armenian/Middle Eastern influence would assert itself. But multiculturalism isn't the only thing that Ichkhanian has going for him; he also brings a strong sense of lyricism to the table. While Ichkhanian has impressive chops, he isn't beating listeners over the head with them. Ichkhanian is obviously smart enough to realize that the chops-for-the-sake-of-chops approach has its limitation — thus, an Ichkhanian solo typically has feeling, warmth, and emotion as well as technique. This jazz-rock CD (which he produced with his father, pianist Edouard Ichkhanian) isn't the work of an exhibitionist; it's the work of a storyteller. After Hours remains Ichkhanian's most essential album; nonetheless, Travels is a rewarding sophomore effort for the talented guitarist.

— Alex Henderson

Levon guested on Oud & Guitars for the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band's new release "Sweet Return" featuring Jane Bunnett

Watch for the video "Shekhine" coming out soon

www.flyingbulgars.com

Klezmer Meets Jazz Meets Arabic Music

CD Release Concert

Clinics

Conducting a clinic at Musicfest, an event that brings together over 30,000 music students from across Canada for education, concerts and competitions.

The Daniel Barnes

Levon contributed on drummer/composer Daniel Barnes' CD "Culimnation". 11 tracks from swing to funk to latin . . . featuring Kevin Turcotte, Mike Murley, Kelly Jefferson, William Carn, Meiron Helly, Robert Botos, Gord Sheard, Niel Chapman, Rich Brown, Marc Rogers, Alan Hetherington and Armando Borg.

www.danielbarnes.net

Jazz with Geordie

Levon played on drummer/composer Geordie McDonald's latest release "Inside the Outside" with Ernie Tollar, Nancy Walker, Kieran Overs, Phil Dwyer and Hugh Marsh

www.sonavista.com

with Geordie McDonald & Phil Dwyer at the Music Gallery

Brand New Mernie

Levon recorded on Mernie's CD "Flowers of Forgiveness"

Look for the music video for "Omneya part 1 - Wish"

www.mernie.ca

Featuring:
Alain Caron, George Koller, Patrick Kilbride
Matt Horner, Gordon Sheard, Anthony Panacci
John Johnson, Enrie Tollar
Wilson Laurencin, Mario Melo

Tour with Peter Murphy

200 Men band with their Singer

Rob Piltch, Hugh Marsh, the Singer, Levon, Mark Kelso, Fergus Marsh

Canadian Tour
Toronto Tabla Ensemble & Mernie