FRESNO, CA – – John Chookasian is inducted into the Valley Music Hall of Fame, as the “2024 Musician of the Year.”
Chookasian is a 1st generation American-Armenian, whose parents were born in historic Sepastia (Sivas, Turkey).
His parents Manase & Arshalous Chookasezian witnessed, suffered, survived & escaped from the 1915-1923 Armenian Christian Genocide; that was planned, perpetrated and executed by the inhumane Ottoman Turkish Government.
Chookasezian & his wife Barbara, have been “Culture Bearers”and decided to form an Armenian Concert Ensemble that would perform, preserve & record the many lost or forgotten Armenian songs & dances of Eastern and historic Western Armenia; as a result of the tragic Armenian Genocide!
During their many travels, they found, transcribed and arranged these vanished unique Armenian songs and later played them on the same stage, in every concert and festival performance.
Also, the Armenian Ensemble recorded these rare, unrecorded unique Armenian songs for their 5 Armenian CD albums.
Presently, these 5 Armenian CD albums are located and housed in the Smithsonian Library, in Washington, D.C.
John, is a distinguished musician, producer, educator, and band leader who has brought Armenian and Middle Eastern folk music to audiences worldwide for over 35 years; which includes: California, across the USA, and the Easter Seaboard and Armenia, John’s success with the “Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble” is partly due to performing with their traditional indigenous Armenian folk instruments (that are rare seen or heard by the many ethnic audience groups around the globe), and his dedicated commitment to bridge the gap between the older musical traditions of Western Armenia and the modern music of Eastern Armenia, influenced by Eastern Europe and Russia.
SOME MAJOR PERFORMANCES & AWARDS:
During 2006, PBS TV, Fresno Channel 18, TV, came & filmed the Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble’s Concert performance at California State University, Fresno & later broadcasted their Armenian concert several times, to over one million TV viewers in California. Also, their Fresno University concert performance can be seen on U-Tube.
A premier clarinetist, John, along with his wife Barbara and their ensemble, traveled to Armenia by Presidential Invitation for to present a series of concerts and festivals throughout Armenia and Karabagh.
During the ensemble’s final concert at the Grand Philharmonic Hall in Yerevan, Armenia, John, received “Armenia’s National Gold Medal Award,” in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Armenian traditional music.
The ensemble’s 5 live-concert CD recordings include the critically acclaimed “A Passage to Armenia,” named “Best World Music CD Album in 2006,” by the “NY-NJ Independent Music Awards,” and his award winning “Visions of Armenia,” which also won the “Armenian Music Awards Grammy,” for “Best Traditional Armenian Folk Music in 2009.”
A talent scout from the Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel and Casino, caught their Armenian Middle Eastern show, featuring master Oudist, Chick Ganimian, at New York’s prestigious Round Table Night Club and offer the group a one year + contract to perform for their Las Vegas hotel lounge shows.
Thus, the new Las Vegas, “King Tut Revue” was formed and performed in every major hotel and casino for 12 years.
In addition to his musical career, John is a union actor and has appeared in 42 film and TV series productions, working alongside notable artists such as: Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Clint Eastwood, George Burns, Art Carney, Tony Bennett, Cheryl Ladd, and Robert Urich, etc.
John, holds graduate degrees from the New York University College of Music and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he taught Music and Ethnic Studies.
John Chookasian currently resides in Fresno, California, where he continues his mission of presenting, preserving, and perpetuating traditional Armenian music and culture.
