The son of Armenian jazz pianist Edouard Ichkhanian, he was born on May 16, 1964, and moved with his family from Lebanon to Toronto, Ontario, when he was 12.
[1] At 13 he performed professionally with Armenian pop singer Adiss Harmandian.
[1] Four years later a scholarship from the Ontario Arts Council helped him study jazz at the University of Toronto.
[1] In the 1990s he took lessons from jazz guitarists Jim Hall, Steve Khan, and Pat Martino.
[1] In addition to guitar he plays mandolin, bouzouki, and oud.