People in the Arts: Shakeh Ghoukasian
A weekly snapshot of creative people living in the Las Vegas Valley
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Steve Marcus
Shakeh Ghoukasian is dean of the Nevada School of the Arts and a Las Vegas Philharmonic violinist.
Sun Archives
- Music from an old school (9-29-2008)
- What a difference a home makes (9-26-2008)
- Orchestra rises to challenge (2-25-2008)
Name: Shakeh Ghoukasian, musician
Age: 46
Family: Married to Haik Goomroyan; they have an 11-year-old son, Peter.
Education: Bachelor’s and Master of Music degrees in performance from UNLV
Titles: Dean of Nevada School of the Arts, principal second violinist for Las Vegas Philharmonic, teacher.
Originally from: Yerevan, Armenia
Living in Las Vegas: “You’re given opportunities to do things you probably wouldn’t be able to do in a bigger city. You kind of find your niche. I have the best of all worlds. I still freelance. I still teach. I’m doing a little bit of everything and I enjoy all of it.”
Best part of teaching: “I’m learning. If I’m teaching, I’m learning. Each student is different. You learn how to find that connection with that student. I love working with teenagers. It’s fun to see them evolve into individual beings.”
Starting out: As a child, Ghoukasian was immersed in government-sponsored culture — ballet, opera, philharmonic. She attended music school until her family left Armenia in 1979 for Los Angeles. Ghoukasian spoke little English. Her first orchestral experience was playing in the pit orchestra for the Hollywood High production of “Mame.” She joined the American Youth Symphony.
Getting to Vegas: She met her husband while they were playing in a Romanian Gypsy folk ensemble. They married and moved to Las Vegas to work as freelance musicians. After completing her bachelor’s degree at UNLV, Ghoukasian started teaching at the Nevada School of the Arts in 1986 when she was a graduate student. She played with the now-defunct Nevada Symphony Orchestra and the Nevada Chamber Symphony and co-founded the Green Valley Chamber Music Festival with Enrico Elisi.
Culture in Vegas: “We have quite a bit going on here. I think people choose to not see it. We have guest performers and guest lecturers. But we have performances going on to empty audiences.”
On the Las Vegas Philharmonic: “We want to play orchestral music. Artistically, we all want that outlet, something other than playing commercial music for a living.”
Nevada School of the Arts: “We really raise the bar for students,” she says. Fewer than 10 percent are planning to pursue musical careers. “I have students who play so well, but they’re going into medicine or law and they’re happy. For many students, this is their second home. It’s a place where they belong, they feel safe, they can experience positiveness. You really develop a more sophisticated taste for things that are beautiful, things that are artistic.”
Students in music: “It’s their choice if they want to go into music. I don’t ask them. I don’t assume. I don’t want to influence their decision. It’s a tough road. Unless it’s an overwhelming desire, don’t do it. The market has grown smaller for classical musicians. You have to be your best. You can audition and hope you’re at the top of your game and compete against 1,000 other violinists for one job.”
Career in music: “I couldn’t think of doing anything else.”
Other interests: Reading, cooking, traveling. She leads workshops and master classes in various cities during the summer.
Sticking around? “I don’t have any plans to go anywhere at this point.”
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Franchione potential early candidate for UNLV football post
- Police: 3 arrested in officer’s death have gang ties
- Big fight headed for a New Frontier?
- Mayor: Morale not good among LV city employees
- Hotels rein in risque advertising campaigns
- $60 million to stabilize neighborhoods buys five homes
- MGM Mirage (finally) makes George Strait show official
- Las Vegas condo hotels remain a tough sell — just ask Trump
- Reserve Rebels didn’t have time to panic
- Funny Face: Carrot Top’s stage act a mask of contradictions
Blogs
Elsewhere
Sands China raises $2.5 billion in Hong Kong IPO
Marquardt v. Sonnen scheduled for UFC 109
Bloggity, Bloggity, Bloggity
Will a fourth consecutive title by Jimmie Johnson be good or bad for NASCAR? (1 Comment)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: And then there were four
Top Chef Episode 12: On keeping it simple
Miech Again
Chilly start for Chace, but Stanback says he'll warm up (1 Comment)
Elsewhere
Harvard Poker Pro: Texas Hold 'Em skills can help traders
- Live chat
- Tuesday, noon PST
- Chat with Krista Creelman
- Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question
Calendar »
- 21 Sat
- 22 Sun
- 23 Mon
- 24 Tue
- 25 Wed
-
UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center | 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
Julio Iglesias at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
-
Natasha Wicks hosts at Hawaiian Tropic Zone
Hawaiian Tropic Zone | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Tito Ortiz hosts at Tao
Tao | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Hiroshima at Santa Fe Station
Santa Fe Station
-
Frank Mir hosts at LAX
LAX Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Four Tops at The Orleans Showroom
Orleans Hotel-Casino
-
Amir Sadollah hosts at Prive
Prive | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati










Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Full comments policy.