Biography
Assurhadoun Khofri was born December 14, 1937 in Kermanshah, Iran, to parents of Assyrian Decent. His father, Gabriel Khofri was a Catholic Deacon and a very talented Blacksmith. He was culturally proud and upon obtaining his first commercial contract in Baghdad he engraved the words, “I am Assyrian,” on all commercial tire rims that were ordered for transportation.
Gabriel Khofri married Victoria Vardeh in 1922 and together they raised a multi-talented family of musicians, poets, painters and overall artisans. Assurhadouns eldest brother was the famous Assyrian Folkloric Composer, Paulus Khofri. Assurhadoun was musically inclined as a child and attended The Italian Salesian School- Don Bosco Preparatory College where he graduated in 1960. He was classically trained and developed his love of the accordion, by his mentor and Director of the college, Dr. Armando Vittore. While at the conservatory he specialized in Brass, Woodwind and Percussion Instruments.
After College Assurhadoun began working for The American Embassy in Iran as a Procurement Supervisor. During this time, he also produced musical concerts with his friend, fellow artist Vania David, while simultaneously conducting choral performances with his brother Paulus Khofri.
In 1966 Assurhadoun went on to marry his love Marlin Yadegar and they had two daughters named Dorida and Victoria.
The child development process had always been an ongoing interest for Assurhadoun and he ultimately decided to utilize his musical talents to bridge the link between these two disciplines. Assurhadoun was recruited by the esteemed Musical Director Dr. Said Khadiri to lead the 3rd (out of 9) Child Development Music Workshops in Iran, under the leadership of Reza Ghotbi, who headed The National Iranian Radio and Television, during The Pahlavi Dynasty. In 1974, as The Director of the Music Workshop in the district of West Azerbaijan, Uremia, The Queen of Iran (Farrah Pahlavi) awarded Assurhadoun the highest honor, for being at the helm of the best educational music workshop in the country. Under Assurhadoun’s supervision his workshop consisted of 150 students and 9 teachers. His responsibilities included research, education, and production. The programs he produced were sent to Tehran where they were broadcast throughout the nation.
In 1978 Assurhadoun immigrated to the United States from Iran. He settled in Marin County where he began working alongside his brother Sankiro Khofri at The Naval Shipyards in San Francisco, Alameda, and Treasure Island. Once vetted he was granted government clearance and began working on aircraft carriers including The USS Missouri and The USS Nimitz. He was greatly respected amongst his peers and was soon elected to Shop Steward (Union Representative) where he facilitated communications between employees and management. Music continued to be a life line to Assurhadouns spirit as it was always on his mind and deep rooted in his heart. He began collaborating with, a then young, Assyrian Vocalist named Walter Aziz on his first American LP entitled “Milat Atoureta” writing the song Arbaello for him. It was at this time that Assurhadoun also became a valued instrumentalist at The Marin County Ensemble, where he played his beloved trumpet in the band and orchestra.
He relocated his family to the Central Valley in the early 1980’s while still commuting to San Francisco during the week. Weekends were often spent around the piano with his beloved mentor and dear friend Rabi William Daniel. It was during these times where Assurhadoun wrote and composed many beautiful traditional melodies that would become vital markers for his legacy. He also continued working with local Assyrian Artists, producing and writing an album for singer/song writer Edward Hormozi.
Assurhadoun believed that professional development, application, and adaptability were vital ingredients to staying relevant in music. He began researching and writing a series of educational books on Harmony, Rhythm and Percussion Instruments- specifically Primitive instruments and their relationship to traditional Assyrian music. As child development through music education had always been his area of expertise, he embarked on a journey to write a 4 Volume Children’s Music Book along with melodies and poetry. These songs were specific to the understanding of a child's mindset, focusing on their respective age group, starting with toddlers all the way through to adolescents.
The significance of dedicating his time and talents to the church came as second nature to Assurhadoun and a practice he had manifested throughout his life. The Khofri’s had always had generational ties to the Catholic Church and his father instilled in him a deep sense of love for GOD and service. Upon his retirement he came full circle and began forming and conducting choirs amongst the Assyrian Churches in his community. He became profoundly inspired and formed a close relationship with Bishop Bawai Soro who inspired him to begin writing Religious Requiems, thus embodying the spirit of the light, within his music. His intent in composing and arranging these hymns was to help bridge the gap between traditional religious ceremonies and modern-day convention for younger generations. Since the discipline of music education had always been his forte, he continued mentoring music students like Dr. Sinella Aghassi towards achieving her Ph.D. in Music as well as teaching music to a whole new generation of students.
In 2008 Assurhadoun conducted and led a group of notable Assyrian Artists in a concert at The Gallo Center for The Performing Arts that included Ashur Bet Sargis, Walter Aziz, Tiglat Issabey, David Bet Samo and Robert Noghli. The concert was held by The Assyrian Aid Society of America to help benefit Assyrians living in Bet-Nahrin. His profound love for music and his fellow Assyrian Musicians was made even more prevalent when he transcribed into musical notes the melodies of his highly revered friend, Sooren Alexander in the book “A Collection of Assyrian Folk Music for Accordion.”
Assurhadoun Khofri was a gentle soul with a gracious spirit and a deep love for his Assyrian people. He enjoyed all aspects of creativity, reading, outdoor activities like hiking, bike riding and gardening, continuous education, children, pets and traveling (especially to his homeland of Iran). He was grounded in a strong moral and spiritual foundation while devoting his life to his family and helping others in his community. He was an honest, compassionate and respected individual with notable accomplishments throughout his life. Regrettably Assurhadoun Khofri passed away January 2018. His legacy will always live through his family and his Music.