Levon Ichkhanian was born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon of Armenian descent. He is the son of Edouard Ichkhanian, renowned Musical Director of Middle Eastern artists, nephew to Professor Joseph Ichkhanian, founder of the classical guitar program at the Beirut Conservatory of Music, and Jacques Ichkhanian, a master Flamenco guitarist, and cousin of Hovannes Darbinian, scholar and performer of the Armenian Tar in Yerevan and choir master for the oldest cathedral in the world - Etchmiadzin. Following the family tradition of musicians, an artist of great versatility, Levon is proficient on the Fretted and Fretless guitars, Tar, Oud, Greek and Irish Bouzouki, Mandolin and Banjitar. Contemporary jazz with world beat overtones aptly describes the music of the Armenian/Canadian multi-instrumentalist/composer.

A recipient of the Governor General of Canada's acknowledgment for musical excellence, Levon has been recognized as a musical ambassador to Canada. He shared the stage with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Oliver Jones, and Taylor Dane for the 2008 Olympic Tour of China. He has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, performing at festivals and concert halls such as Peter Gabriel's WOMAD, MIDEM (Cannes), with Hariharan and Ustad Zakir Hussain (Madison Square Garden, NY), Chet Atkins Musician Days Festival (Nashville), All Star Guitar Night (Los Angeles), Montreal Jazz Festival and Pizza Express Jazz Club (London, UK) and the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain to name a few. He has also toured with international notables as Peter Murphy (of Bauhaus fame), Marisa Lindsay (singing sensation from Barbados), Loreena McKennitt, and with A.R. Rahman's (multiple award winner for Slumdog Millionaire) 3D World Tour, which took Levon to India, Singapore, Dubai and the United Kingdom. At home, in Toronto, Levon is called upon to perform at events such as "Broadway and Beyond' concert featuring Marvin Hamlisch, and The Fashion Cares Concert featuring Elton John.
After performing in the world premiere Toronto stage production of The Lord of the Rings, Levon ventured in the musical theatre world. He founded Global Village Creative Inc, offering music contracting, coordinating, directing, performance and production services. Musical theatre credits include: Miss Saigon, South Pacific, The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, My Fair Lady, 3 Mo’ Divas, Spamalot, Toxic Avenger, Robin Hood, Chicago, Arrabal.  Television credits include CBC's Over the Rainbow for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, CTV's Rick Hansen: A Concert For Heroes, CITY TV's Canada's Got Talent, Global TV's Canada's Walk of Fame, and the Canadian Tenors Gemini Award winning special Seasons of Song, with David Foster, Sarah McLaughlin and Paul Anka, The Beijing Olympics and the 24th Men’s world handball championship games in Qatar.

He was the arranger and music coordinator for Andrew Moodie’s Language of the Heart, part of the creative team for Twyla Tharp’s production Come Fly Away to the music of Frank Sinatra, and music contractor for Shirley Jones, Donny and Marie, Colm Wilkinson, Chantal Kreviazuk, Brian Wilson's Re-imagines tour across Canada, and the Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa dates for Barbra Streisand's Back to Brooklyn Tour, as well as the world premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s “If I Loved You” concert featuring Boy George, Josh Groban, Steven Page, Brent Carver, Brennan Hall, David Byrne and Ezra Koenig, and the Daniel Lanois Tribute concert featuring Andy Kim, Emmylou Harris, Kevin Drew, Martha Wainwright, Mary Margaret O’Hara, The Handsome family, Trixy Whitely, Basia Bulat, Bill Frisell, Alastair Roberts.

As a session musician, Levon has played on over two hundred diverse commercial recordings including The Canadian Idol's gold selling C.D., India's national treasure singer Hariharan's Waqt Par Bolna, soprano and multiple Juno (Canadian Grammy) Award winner Isabel Bayrakdarian's Tango Notturno. He also performed on numerous soundtracks for films, commercials and television, including environmentalist David Suzuki's Nature of Things, the CBC documentaries Daughters of Afghanistan and Robbing the Cradle of Civilization (New York Festival's Silver World Medal winner for Television Documentary [International]), and AR Rahman's Guru, Sivaji and Rang De Basanti and Slumdog Millionaire. He has composed for the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and the Atlantic Jazz Society, scored soundtracks for the likes of acclaimed filmmaker Atom Egoyan, as well as produced concerts and JUNO nominated projects.

Levon is an avid explorer of improvisation, which forms the basis for his workshops, master classes and published articles. He was awarded the International Association of Jazz Educator's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Jazz Education; he has been the cover feature in numerous music magazines.  As a recognized figure in the music community, Levon endorses Godin Guitars and D’Addario Strings and actively uses his talents in philanthropic ventures.  In addition to performing benefit concerts for Gilda’s Club, Toronto’s United Church Heart and Vision Concert for Community Relief Funds, Nelson Mandela’s Children Fund, Heart and Stroke’s Polo For Heart and Direct Aid Tsunami Benefit Concert, Levon personally raises funds to provide Toronto’s underprivileged kids an opportunity to attend live music and live musical theatre events.  One of Levon’s most meaningful and cherished activities was the inception and execution of a live benefit concert, where he singlehandedly assembled notable Armenian singers throughout North America to perform live in Toronto with a full orchestra, to raise funds for a Medical Clinic in Armenia following the 1989 earthquake.  This was the first time singers - Adiss and Paul shared the same stage.

Levon’s debut CD, "after hours", blends Armenian/Middle Eastern melodies with contemporary jazz, featuring instruments from around the world, including the doudouk (Armenian wind instrument), tabla, bouzouki, and accordion. Featured musicians include Grammy award winners and world-renowned artists John Patitucci (bass) and Paquito D'Rivera (sax/clarinet). Distributed by Mediterrano Productions, "after hours" was an Armenian Music Award nominee for Best Jazz Album, and reached #1 Indie and Top 10 Jazz on HMV Charts.  Levon’s follow up CD “Travels”, winner of the best in jazz/fusion category 2002 Armenian Music Awards, is a collection of Levon’s compositions encompassing styles from Middle Eastern to Brazilian grooves and melodies, and features Alain Caron on fretless bass. Both CDs received rave reviews in All Music Guide to Jazz, Jazztimes, The Jazz Report, Canadian Musician, Gitarist, Horizon and Nor Gyank magazines to name a few.