by Christopher Atamian
ATHENS — The Tsakirian family has been making instruments — stringed musical instruments, to be specific — for four generations in Athens, Greece. People who exercise this rare profession are called luthiers, which comes from the French word lute or flute. The profession itself is referred to as lutherie, and the two words are often confused as they look almost alike. The Tsakirians are considered among the best musical instrument makers and repairers in the world, and instruments that they work on include bouzouki, tzoura, baglama, classical guitar, mandolin, lute and oud. Tanya Vehanoush Tsakirian is the latest and fourth generation of master luthiers. Her father Karolos before her, Onnik before Karolos and finally Agop, have all made traditional Middle Eastern instruments for a living.
Tanya’s quest began at the age of 14 when she started visiting her father’s workshop on Saturdays. She continued her studies throughout high school. By the time she entered university, even though she stayed in touch with her father’s workshop, Tanya shifted focus and majored in philosophy and history of science at the University of Athens. As a senior, she had to decide if she wanted to continue along an academic path or instead learn a trade. Not surprisingly, she chose to apprentice with her father, Karolos Tsakirian, and deepen her practical knowledge of making and repairing musical instruments. She fell in love with the craft and never looked back. As luck — or talent — would have it — the first bouzouki that she made was purchased by Kostas Doumouliakas, one of the most famous rebetiko musicians of his generation. Rebetiko is one of the most popular musical forms in the Eastern Mediterranean world, a form that is often described as “Greek blues music” and though it is both jazzy and soulful, rebetiko possesses a distinctive sound all its own. Today some of her work can be found on every continent, including at the Paris Philharmonic or Philharmonie de Paris. Talent runs in the family as Tsakirian’s mother is the world-renowned visual Artist Eozen Agopian.
A One Hundred-Year Old Tradition
The legendary Tsakirian family tradition begun when Agop Tsakirian emigrated from Smyrna in 1922 after the Armenian Genocide and opened the first shop some two years later in Piraeus, now the main port of Athens, at 7 Fokionos street. The neighborhood was a haven for refugees at the time and many Armenian families settled there. Agop learned the art of lutherie from his brother-in-law Aram Papazian, another master luthier from Smyrna. Agop benefitted from the fact that Papazian was well-educated and on good terms with many of the musicians who had escaped Asia Minor. Some of Agop Tsakirian’s clients included Markos Vamvakaris, Yovan Chaous and Udi Hrant Kenkulian. Agop also made Giorgos Batis’s favorite baglama: the story goes that Batis loved his Baglama so much that when he died, he asked to be buried with it!
Agop died in 1973, and his son, Onnik Tsakirian, was already continuing the tradition at his own workshop in downtown Athens, which he opened in 1960. He would go on to make instruments for great bouzouki players like Manolis Chiotis, Giannis Tatassopoulos, and Giannis Angelou. As a matter of fact, Manolis Chiotis was buried with the famous Acropolis bouzouki that Onnik had made for him. Among other honors, in 1966 Onnik received the Gold Medal for master craftsmanship at the Thessaloniki International Expo. In 1970, Onnik immigrated to the United States where he worked for the renowned Fender Guitar Company in Los Angeles, before eventually moving to Astoria, Queens in 1973 where he was later joined by his son Karolos. Like his father, Onnik made instruments for some of the most famous musicians in the world including Stelios Kazantzidis and Stamatis Kokotas. He died at the tender age of 52 and the family business was passed down to his son Karolos Tsakirian, who had also been his apprentice since the age of 14. Karolos ran his shop out of Astoria before returning to Athens and expanding the family business that his father had founded in 1960.
Karolos continued the family tradition with great passion and love for his craft. Some renowned musicians that he made instruments for are Giannis Stamatiou, Lakis Karnezis, Manolis Karantinis, Panagiotis Stergiou, Babis Goles and Vaggelis Korakakis.
Tanya Tsakirian: Maybe the Best?
Instrument making in Greece is a traditionally male-dominated profession, so it is no small feat that Karolos has handed over the reins of the family business to his daughter Tanya Tsakirian. When asked to name the most difficult part of making a bouzouki or an oud, Tanya answers: ‘‘Before the assembly of the instrument, we work separately on each part. Bowl, soundboard, neck, fingerboard and headstock. The assembly starts by joining the bowl with the neck. Then follows the soundboard and lastly the headstock and fingerboard. The hardest part would be ‘voicing the instrument,’ which is the process of bringing out the sound and playability of each instrument to its full capacity. This journey starts from the early stages of building and it ends with the placement of the strings.”
Onnik Tsakirian, holding guitar, in 1964, with friends
Do clients order instruments with particular specifications or materials?: ‘‘For custom orders, clients can choose from a specific selection of woods, that can be used on the bowl and soundboard. Furthermore, they decide on the ornamentation of the soundboard and perhaps the bowl. It could be made of wood, plastic and/or abalone and mother of pearl.’’
Tanya is proud to be carrying on this family tradition, as well as aspects of her Armenian culture.” The Tsakirian family are part of a 35,000-strong Greek-Armenian community, two peoples who have had intimate contacts since their shared centuries of persecution during the Ottoman Empire. Tanya remains close to her Armenian roots: “Having grown up in an Armenian family, I was exposed to different aspects of Armenian culture. From listening to my grandmothers singing Armenian songs and cooking Armenian food, to going to events of the local Armenian community center.”
Tanya Tsakirian working on a lute.
As for Karolos, he admits to originally doubting whether Tanya would fully measure up to the famous family members who preceded her. After seeing the hard work and passion she has put in — and the instruments that she has produced — his doubts have disappeared, and he today proudly declares: “Now I think she will be even better at it than I ever was.”
Video About the Tsakirian Family
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