Loris Ohannes Chobanian
Encyclopedia
Loris Ohannes Chobanian is an accomplished Armenian-American composer of classical music
, expert conductor
, and guitar
and lute
teacher and performer. A naturalized US citizen, he served as Professor of Composition as well as Composer-in-Residence at Baldwin-Wallace College
Conservatory.
, the flute
and the violin
. When he was five years old the senior Chobanian wrote a one man operetta
– “O Loris” which the young Chobanian sang in Kirkuk
, Iraq, with his father conducting the orchestra
.
In 1951 he graduated from Baghdad College
, a High School administered by American Jesuits from Boston
, Mass. For ten years he joined the Komitas Choir in Baghdad
that specialized in singing Armenian Folk Music.
Chobanian studied the classical guitar
with Jacque Tchakerian and in 1955 began performing classical guitar regularly on Baghdad Television and worked at the Khanaqin Oil Company. During 1958–1960 he was appointed Secretary to the Director General of Distribution of Oil in Iraq.
(1960–1966) where he completed his Bachelors and masters degrees studying with Kenneth Klaus. He performed regularly on WBRZ-TV
Baton Rouge, LA
, and later in Michigan
performing for the National Educational Television
. He received the Ph.D. in music composition from Michigan State University
(1970) studying with H. Owen Reed
.
He was instrumental in establishing the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music
Guitar and Composition programs as well as the Focus Contemporary Music Festival. He has taught at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
and the University of Akron
.
In 1973 he became the first Guitar Division Chairman of the American String Teachers Association
. He organized the first ASTA Guitar Conference in Cleveland
, which for the first time brought together the university and college guitar teachers in the US and Canada. The conference became the model that has been emulated by conferences of the Guitar Foundation of America
ever since.
Winner of many ASCAP awards and grants from the Ohio Arts Council
and the Cleveland Arts Council, he also received an award for excellence from the University of Loyola
, New Orleans, LA. He was the recipient of the 1981 Cleveland Arts Prize.
He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron
, an international professional music fraternity.
, the Toronto International Guitar Festival, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
, the Groton Central School in New York
, the Nebraska Wesleyan University
, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony
, the Skidmore College Orchestra, Saratoga Springs, NY
, and the University of St. Thomas
, St. Paul, MN.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, expert conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
teacher and performer. A naturalized US citizen, he served as Professor of Composition as well as Composer-in-Residence at Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...
Conservatory.
Early years
Dr. Chobanian was introduced to classical music at an early age. His father Ohannes Chobanian, an oil engineer and an amateur musician, was a versatile performer on the pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. When he was five years old the senior Chobanian wrote a one man operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
– “O Loris” which the young Chobanian sang in Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, Iraq, with his father conducting the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
.
In 1951 he graduated from Baghdad College
Baghdad College
Baghdad College is an elite high school for boys in Baghdad, Iraq. It is among the nation's most highly regarded preparatory schools, boasting several well-known alumni and countless Iraqi professionals and intellectuals now living throughout the world...
, a High School administered by American Jesuits from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Mass. For ten years he joined the Komitas Choir in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
that specialized in singing Armenian Folk Music.
Chobanian studied the classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
with Jacque Tchakerian and in 1955 began performing classical guitar regularly on Baghdad Television and worked at the Khanaqin Oil Company. During 1958–1960 he was appointed Secretary to the Director General of Distribution of Oil in Iraq.
Career in the US
In 1960 he moved to the US to study composition at Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
(1960–1966) where he completed his Bachelors and masters degrees studying with Kenneth Klaus. He performed regularly on WBRZ-TV
WBRZ-TV
WBRZ, virtual channel 2 , is an ABC affiliate television station serving Baton Rouge, Louisiana, south-central and southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. It is owned by the Manship family, who also publishes the Baton Rouge daily newspaper, The Advocate. Its transmitter is located in...
Baton Rouge, LA
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, and later in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
performing for the National Educational Television
National Educational Television
National Educational Television was an American non-commercial educational public television network in the United States from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970...
. He received the Ph.D. in music composition from Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
(1970) studying with H. Owen Reed
H. Owen Reed
Herbert Owen Reed is an American composer, conductor, and author.-Education:Reed was raised in rural Odessa, Missouri, where his first exposure to music was his father's playing of the old-time fiddle...
.
He was instrumental in establishing the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music
Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music
The Baldwin–Wallace College Conservatory of Music is part of Baldwin-Wallace College which is located in Berea, Ohio. The main building is Kulas Hall. The Conservatory is home to the Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival, the oldest collegiate Bach Festival in the United States.-History:The...
Guitar and Composition programs as well as the Focus Contemporary Music Festival. He has taught at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1865 and is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Students of Oberlin Conservatory enter a very broad network within the music world, as the school's alumni...
and the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
.
In 1973 he became the first Guitar Division Chairman of the American String Teachers Association
American String Teachers Association
The American String Teacher's Association is a professional organization based in the United States for music teachers. It is the largest such national organization in the US for string teachers. It promotes learning to play string instruments in the next generation of American students, and...
. He organized the first ASTA Guitar Conference in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, which for the first time brought together the university and college guitar teachers in the US and Canada. The conference became the model that has been emulated by conferences of the Guitar Foundation of America
Guitar Foundation of America
Guitar Foundation of America is the leading guitar organization founded in the year 1973. The company offer various services ranging from Guitar Lessons, to a Guitar Shop, Competitions and Events. The company is non profit and relies on advertisers on the website and events and donations...
ever since.
Winner of many ASCAP awards and grants from the Ohio Arts Council
Ohio Arts Council
The Ohio Arts Council is an agency serving the U.S. state of Ohio.Established in 1965, its mission is to "foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage." Each year it awards grants to arts organizations and individuals throughout the state...
and the Cleveland Arts Council, he also received an award for excellence from the University of Loyola
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
, New Orleans, LA. He was the recipient of the 1981 Cleveland Arts Prize.
He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity.
Commissions
Among his many commissions include those from the Cleveland Ballet, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, the American Wind Symphony OrchestraAmerican Wind Symphony Orchestra
The American Wind Symphony Orchestra is an American musical ensemble comprising the wind instruments found in a symphony orchestra, which is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music, and which is known for having commissioned over 400 new works...
, the Toronto International Guitar Festival, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
The Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra is the national orchestra of Armenia. It was founded in 1925 as a symphony orchestra of the Yerevan State Conservatory. Now it performs in Khachaturian Hall, Yerevan....
, the Groton Central School in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private, coeducational university located in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2007, it has 1,600 full-time students and 300 faculty and staff. The school teaches in the tradition of a liberal arts college education....
, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony
Cleveland Chamber Symphony
The Cleveland Chamber Symphony is an American chamber orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music, and has presented over 200 performance premieres.-History:...
, the Skidmore College Orchestra, Saratoga Springs, NY
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, and the University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
, St. Paul, MN.
Academic year 2005-2006
- Miniatures for Violoncello and Orchestra was premiered by the BW Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dwight Oltman with Regina Mushabac, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Divertimento was premiered with a Cello Orchestra of forty cellists conducted by the composer
- The Mad Violin for solo violin which was written for and premiered by violinist Julian Ross
2007
- Texturas – Piano Trio No. 2, in five movements, was premiered by the Elysian Trio.
- January 28, 2007 the BW Conservatory Faculty presented an all Chobanian Solo and Chamber Music concert at the Gamble Auditorium of the Conservatory, ending with the composer conducting the World Premiere of Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone and Strings with Greg BanaszakGreg BanaszakGreg Banaszak is an American saxophonist. He specializes in European classical music, but also performs jazz.He serves on the faculties of the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music...
, saxophone, and the BW String Faculty Quintet.
- March 8, 2007, the University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
presented a festival of Chobanian’s music entitled “CHOBANIANA” in which eight of his compositions were performed.
- Armenian Rhapsody for Guitar and Symphonic Wind Ensemble was commissioned and premiered March 9, 2007 by the University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by Matthew George, with Christopher Kachian, guitar solo. The commission stipulated that the work, for Guitar and Symphonic Wind Ensemble, be based upon the Armenian melodic tradition.
- May 2007, the University of St. Thomas ensemble performed Armenian Rhapsody on tour in major cities in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Chinese audiences received the work enthusiastically. On January 25, 2008, the cello version of Armenian Rhapsody was premiered by Regina Mushabac with the BW Symphonic Wind Ensemble conducted by Dwight Oltman.
- December 1, 2007, the Baldwin-Wallace College Singers, conducted by Mel Unger, presented the world premiere of Requiem - April 24 in Armenian text, to commemorate the Armenian GenocideArmenian GenocideThe Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. The program also featured Chobanian’s Kaddish for a young Artist, in Aramaic, to commemorate the Jewish Holocaust. The BW Singers learned the Armenian text phoneticallyPhonetical singingPhonetical singing is when a singer learns and performs, the lyrics of a song by the words' phonetic sounds without necessarily understanding of the content of the lyrics....
.
2008
- Tango Fantasy was premiered on March 5, 2008 by the BW Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dwight Oltman with BW Alumna flamenco/classical guitarist Marija Temo
- September 13, 2008 Dialogue – Sonata for Two Pianos was premiered by Nicole Keller and William Shaffer, pianos.
- Music for Lauren, a collection of ten Piano Solos was premiered by Robert Mayerovitch, piano, September 20, 2008.
- December 14, 2008 Dowland In Armenia for String Orchestra was premiered by the BW Youth Orchestra conducted by the composer.
2009
- February 27, 2009, the BW Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dwight Oltman, presented the US Premiere of Legends for String Orchestra. Capriccio for Violin and Symphonic Wind Ensemble was also premiered by Julian Ross, violin, the BW Symphonic Wind ensemble conducted by Dwight Oltman.