Armenian-Canadian Guitarist Levon Ichkhanian Performs in Olympic Tour
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Posted by: eviewsandnewson Friday, August 29, 2008 - 04:32 PM |
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Multi-instrumentalist/producer Levon Ichkhanian is in Beijing to participate in a historic event uniting Western and Eastern stars with artists living with disabilities on the world stage between the Olympic and Paralympic games. He joins Shiela E, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Oliver Jones, Taylor Dane and others on the Marriage of Excellence Tour in China, with specially taped messages from Celine Dion, Chaka Khan and Itzhak Perlman.
Held during the 10 days between the Olympics and Paralympic games, the tour will demonstrate the power of the Arts in fostering cross-cultural understanding and excellence that can be achieved when we live the notion of "One World, One Dream" ... the slogan for the 2008 Olympics. "I have always believed that music is the common voice for all cultures, so it was an honour to be invited to perform and represent my culture during the Tour," states Ichkhanian.
One of only 3 Canadians invited to participate, Levon will represent his Armenian-Canadian heritage performing "Siroun" a traditional Armenian piece, as well as one of his compositions commissioned by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra "the Gift" with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra at the historic Prince Jun Palace, built in the time of the Qing Dynasty.
A versatile musician with large international appeal and experience, Levon's musical travels have connected him with a diverse group of talented people from all cultures and styles of music from around the world (A.R. Rahman, Hariharan, Peter Murphy, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Janne Lappalainen from Varttina, among others). This has inspired Levon to incorporate many different sounds in his music (e.g. Armenian, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Indian, etc) earning his recognition for his efforts in blending cultural influences both in his live performances and on his CDs. He is a sought after clinician and teacher, having delivered hundreds of sessions across Canada, United States and Europe, and was awarded the International Association of Jazz Educator's Award for "Outstanding Service to Jazz Education".
Levon website: www.levonmusic.com
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