This document provides a biography and career summary of Lebanese percussionist Rony Barrak. It details his early interest and success in percussion from age 4, his education in London, and his career blending Eastern and Western styles. It provides an extensive list of performances, recordings, compositions, master classes and awards over his career spanning four decades.

1. RONY BARRAK
Percussionist/Composer/Arranger/Musical director
+961.3.367590 | P.O. Box 95 Zouk Mekhael, Lebanon
info@ronybarrak.com | www.ronybarrak.com
http://www.youtube.com/ronybarrak
www.facebook.com/ronybarrakofficial
• BIOGRAPHY
Internationally renowned Lebanese percussionist and composer Rony Barrak held his Darbouka (Middle
Eastern Tabla) at the tender age of four and began playing it intuitively. Led by early self-confidence, he
made his first TV performance at the age of seven and then proceeded to improve his skills through
school and family performances. At the age of seventeen, Rony distinguished himself in the world of
music by winning the Gold Medal in a competition on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation
International (LBCI) television for talented young musicians in Lebanon and the Middle East. This
achievement encouraged him to unleash the Darbouka from the chains of its long-standing traditional
context and explore its full potential. He moved to London in 1990 where he studied orchestral percussion
and drum kit at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and later taught Middle Eastern Percussion at
Trinity College of Music. Rony became a British citizen in year 2000 and has dual citizenship of Lebanon
and the U.K.
Blending eastern and western flavors, Rony is a versatile percussionist, composer, pianist, and arranger.
He plays and composes his own fusion style—a colorful blend of Arabic, Latin, Jazz, funk, New Age and
chill-out. In addition to being the world's leading Darbouka player, he assembled his own unique
percussion set. He incorporated into his performances fascinating instruments such as car parts,
demonstrating an uncanny ability to create rare, exciting combinations out of found objects.
Rony’s love for classical music propelled him to compose symphonic pieces, taking his effort to bring
together eclectic music traditions to the next level. Since 2009 he has composed and premiered three
compositions—dramatic, graceful, and spontaneous symphonic poems featuring his Darbouka—in the US
and Germany. Over the years, he has performed with many world-renowned symphony orchestras and
conductors as a Darbouka soloist. Besides original symphonic compositions, Rony has also achieved
breakthrough success since 2005 as a soloist with Symphonic Game Music Concerts produced by Thomas
Böcker (Merregnon Studios) and with PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, receiving sponsorship from
companies such as Electronic Arts for multiple game concerts. Subsequently, Rony was featured
prominently in five video game music albums.
Rony makes regular appearances on television and radio shows in Lebanon and throughout the Middle
East, including interviews and solo performances, consistently demonstrating a strong rapport with
worldwide audiences. Further, Rony served as the Musical Director and Composer for a Saturday night
television show (Iktachafna el Baroud) on LBCI TV-Lebanon in 2006 and on “What the viewers want” on
MBC TV in 1997.
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• OWN ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITIONS AND PERFORMANCES
2014 "Beirut Sensations" & "Darbouka Concerto” Yerevan, Armenia
With the Academic Theatre Symphonic Orchestra of Yerevan
conducted by Karen Drugaryan
2012 “Boulder Sensations” (world premiere) Boulder, USA
With the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Butterman
2011 "Darbouka Concerto” (world premiere) & “Beirut Sensations” Bremen, Germany
With the Bremer Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Markus Poschner
and broadcasted live on Bremen Radio
2009 "Beirut Sensations" (world premiere) Boulder, USA
With the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Butterman
• ALBUMS PRODUCED, COMPOSED, & ARRANGED
2016
Coming soon…Trio Album with Vlad Gershivich & Alex Nekrasov
- USA
2010
"Darbouka City" distributed and published by EMI Records music
Arabia, followed by Music video clip "Darbouka City"
2005
"Karizma" with Michel Fadel, distributed and published by EMI
Records music Arabia
1999 "Aramba" followed by Music video clip "Aramba"
• ORCHESTRAS RECORDED AND PERFORMED WITH AS SOLOIST
London Philharmonic Orchestra Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir
Moscow Symphony Orchestra WDR Radio Orchestra of Cologne
Bremer Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
FILMharmonic Orchestra of Prague Chicago land Pops Orchestra
Toronto Orchestra and Choir NDR Bigband
Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra UK I.A.P.S. National Symphony Orchestra
Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra Morgenland All Star Band & chamber orchestra
Camerata Salzburg Orchestra Bandadriatica-Italy
Academic Theatre Symphonic Orchestra of Yerevan

3. 3
• ARTISTS PERFORMED, TOURED, AND RECORDED WITH
Sarah Brightman Arturo Sandoval Fairuz
Al Di Meola Bond Talvin Singh
Juan Martin Vanessa Mae Pedro Eustache
Dave Grusin Don Grusin Simon Shaheen
Jaz Coleman Richard Galliano Oscar Castro-Neves
Ziad Rahbani Abboud Abdel Aal Alex Acuna
Richard Galliano Ibraham Loberial Art Lande
Martin Grubinger Nelson Rangel Ara Gevorgyan
Raúl di Blasio Aynur Perhat Khaliq
Antonio Forcione Eduardo Niebla Mike Herting
Otis Grand Iris Hond
Pete Lockett Patrick Leonard
• CONDUCTORS WORKED WITH
John Axelrod Arnie Roth Markus Poshner Eckehard Stier
Michael Butterman Niklas Willén Karen Drugaryan Wolf Kerschek
• CONCERT HALLS PERFORMED AT AS FEATURED GUEST SOLOIST
UK
Royal Albert Hall Royal Festival Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall Purcell Room, London
Snape Maltings Concert Hall, London The Stables
USA
Rosemont Theatre, Chicago Macky Auditorium, Boulder-CO
Lakewood Culture Center, Denver Miami-Dade County Auditorium
Germany
Gewandhaus, Leipzig Kölner Philharmonie, Cologne
Die Glocke, Bremen Stadthalle, Osnabrück
Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Cologne Theater An Der Ruhr, Mülheim
Kultur+Kongress Zentrum Rosenheim – KUKO NDR Landesfunkhaus Niedersachsen, Hannover
Lebanon
Salle des Ambassadors-Casino du Liban Al Madina Theatre
Casino Du Liban Theatre Palais de l' UNESCO
Bustan Festival - Lebanon

4. 4
Other Countries
Vienna concert Hall - Austria Sydney Opera House - Australia
Stockholm Concert Hall - Sweden Hummingbird Centre - Toronto - Canada
Kremlin Palace Concert Hall - Moscow-Russia Monte Libano Club - São Paulo - Brazil
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage - UAE Teatro Astral, Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Hall – Japan Theatre National de Chaillot - Paris-France
Rudolfinum Concert Hall- Prague - Czech Republic Largo Porta Terra – Otranto - Italy
Peshawa Hall, Erbil - Iraq Officine Cantelmo - Lecce-Italy
Kilden Performing Art center – Kristiansand – Norway Gazarte – Athens - Greece
Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera & Ballet
Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall- Istanbul & AASSM -Izmir –Turkey
• MAJOR PERFORMANCES
Selected Tours
Perhat Khaliq & Morgenland all star band
2015 China Tour (18 Concerts in 18 Cities)
Raúl di Blasio
2015 Miami- Dade county Auditorium USA & ABA Gala event in Doha-Qatar
Martin Grubinger & the Camerata Salzburg orchestra
2014
Vienna concert Hall - Ausrtia
Salzburg concert Hall - Austria
Rosenheim, Kultur - und Kongreezentrum - Germany
Sarah Brightman
2004 110 concerts in the 2004 Harem World Tour in 4 continents
2003 "Sarah Brightman" Live TV show “Gold Gold Gold” ARD at Color Line Arena,
Hamburg-Germany
Fairuz
2008 Arad Fort, Al Muharraq-Bahrain
2007 Herodes Atticus Odeon Theatre, Athens-Greece
2006-2008 Performed (Acted & Played) in 25 shows of the musical “Sah Al Naoum” in the Middle
East
2006 American University in Dubai-UAE
Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi-UAE
2003 Mohegan Sun, Uncasville-US
Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles-US
Fox Theatre, Detroit-US

5. 5
Beiteddine Festival-Lebanon
Sheraton Theatre, Doha-Qatar
Jumeira Beach Sheraton, Dubai-UAE
2002 American University in Dubai-UAE
Eduardo Niebla
1999-2002 Various performances in countries such as UK, UAE, Lebanon
Antonio Forcione
1999-2002 Various performances in countries such as Italy, UK, Lebanon, Malta, Turkey
Ara Gevorgyan
2010 Karabakh, Artsakh-Armenia
2010 Kremlin Palace-Moscow
2009 Aleppo Citadel-Syria
2004 Emile Lahoud Centre-Lebanon
Selected Festivals
2015 ELBJAZZ Festival - Hamburg-Germany
2002 "BOOM Festival" with Youth Lisbon - Portugal
2000 Cultural events for the British & French consulates, Kano-Nigeria
2000 Jazz festival with Talvin Singh, Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo-
Brazil
2000 Edinburgh Festival-Scotland
With own fusion band & percussion group
2013 Beirut Holidays
2012 Casino Du Liban Lebanon (20 shows)
2012 Balloune Festival-Lebanon
2012 Um Event, University of Michigan-USA
2002 Clock Tower, London-UK
2008 Sun Flower Theatre-Lebanon
2008 Al Geneina Theatre, Cairo-Egypt
2006 Burj Al Arab-Dubai
2006 Kuwait’s first X-treme water show-Kuwait
2006 I love Life campaign concerts / Unesco / Biel-Lebanon
2005 Sourat Summer Festival-Lebanon
2005 Batroun Festival-Lebanon
2004 Faqra Classic Car Motor show-Lebanon
2003 Doha Car Motor Show by Nissan-Qatar
2003 Bacardi Night-At la Marina Dbaye-Lebanon
2003 Bacardi & Nai, at Citadel Amman-Jordan
2002 Live Style Festival-Dubai
2002 “Rhythm Sticks Festival" Rony Barrak & Pete Lockett, Purcell Room SBC, London-UK

6. 6
2001-2003 Music Day Festival, Beirut Downtown-Lebanon
2001-2002 Purcell Room, South Bank Centre, London-UK
2001-2002 "Rhythm Sticks" with own band featuring Snowboy, Purcell Room SBC, London-UK
2001 Opening of Virgin mega store-Lebanon
2000 Solo performance "Worldart.com" stage show-Scotland
2000 Braithwaite Hall at Croydon Clocktower, UK
2000 "BBC Radio World Service" Interviewed with own band, London-UK
2000 Car of the year on LBCI TV-Dubai
1999 Croydon Summer Festival-UK
1999 Cardiff Festival-UK
1999 Royal Albert Hall, London-UK
• SELECTED JAZZ CLUBS PERFORMED AT
UK (London)
606 Club Jazz Café 100 Club Ronnie Scotts Vortex
Smollensky's on the Strand
USA
Jazz at Jack’s (Denver) Dazzle (Denver) Nissi’s (Denver)
Snug Harbor (New Orleans) The Vic (Santa Monica) The Vitello’s Jazz (Los Angeles)
Backed Potato (Los Angeles)
Amsterdam: Bimhuis Jazz Club
Armenia - Yerevan
Malkhas jazz club- Stop jazz club - Mezzo club- 12 Club - Meloman - The Cafesjian Center for the Arts
Turkey: Babylon -Istanbul
• SYMPHONIC GAME MUSIC CONCERTS & ALBUMS FEATURED AS GUEST
SOLOIST
2005–Present Symphonic Game Music Concerts by Merregnon Studios
2012 “Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo” Music from Square Enix by Merregnon Studios
2010 “Symphonic Fantasies” Music from Square Enix by Decca Records
2008 “Symphonic Shades” Huelsbeck in concert, by Merregnon Studios
2008 “PLAY!” Live
2007 “The Darkness” by 2K Games for Play station 3 and Xbox 360

7. 7
• SYMPHONIC GAME MUSIC PERFORMED WITH COMPOSERS PRESENT
Final Fantasies Chrono Trigger Chrono Cross Battlefield
Metal gear Solid Halo Shenmue Silent Hill
The Chronicles of Riddick Castlevania
Nobuo Uematsu Koji Kondo Akira Yamaoka Takenaobu Mitsuyoshi
Yasunori Mitsuda Yuzo Koshiro Jeremy Soule Chris Hülsbeck
Gustaf Grefberg
• MASTER CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
2015 Morgenland Summer Academy at Fattoria Musica Osnabrück - Germany
2015 The University of Adger (Faculty of Fine Arts) Kristiansand- Norway
2015 The University of Gothenburg-Academy of Music & Drama
2015 Kultur Bunker - Cologne - Germany
2014 The Gesamtschule Schinkel - Osnabruck-Germany
2014 Qolo old house in Byblos - Lebanon
2012 Drum Shop, Boulder - USA
2012 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - USA
2012 Gymnasium in der Wüste, Public School, Osnabrück - Germany
2009 Immersive Studios, Boulder-USA
2007 British American Tobacco, Movenpick Hotel, Beirut - Lebanon
2007 Harriry School, Saida-Lebanon
2007 College of Music University of Colorado, Boulder - USA
2002 South Bank Center, London - UK
2000 Granada, Spain
2000 IAPS National Symphony Orchestra and children’s music workshop, Ipswich - UK
1997 Trinity College of Music, London - UK
• CONFERENCES
2003- 2012- 2016 Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
2006 "Ziad el Rahbani & Fairuz" at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon

8. 8
• AWARDS
2010 Appreciation award by the Ambassador of Lebanon-Buenos Aires-Argentina
2010 Appreciation award by the Juventudo de la uniõn cultural Argentino-Libanesa
2010 Appreciation award by the president of Saint George Hospital
2005 Honorary Citizen of the City Dearborn, Michigan-USA
1988 Gold Medal-Studio al Fan on LBCI Television-Lebanon
• MEDIA COMMENTS
2012 “Rony Barrak is an excellent musician” by the Legend Arturo Sandoval at Beirut Jazz
Festival, LBCI TV “In Touch”, Lebanon
2010 "A Sublime Virtuoso" by Roger Ebert, screenwriter/film critic, Chicago Sun-Times,
Chicago-USA
2009 "Boulder Philharmonic goes exotic with Tabla virtuoso Rony Barrak… A riveting
performance… Lebanese musician Rony Barrak is an absolute master of the instrument"
Daily Camera, Boulder-USA
2005 “Le percussionniste Rony Barrak a enflammé la foule” Prestige Le Monde de célébretiés,
Lebanon
1989 “Rony Barrak proceeds to amaze the crowd with technique and speed that many of us
would have difficulty matching with sticks. He also has the ability to play musically in a
style reminiscent of Airto Moreira’s tambourine solos.” Rhythm, UK
• ENDORSEMENTS
Zildjian
Cymbals
Kevork
Invented
Percussions
The Boulder
Drum Shop-USA

9. 9
ALBUMS & DVDS FEATURING RONY BARRAK
Year Album Title Artist Label Artwork
2015 Babilonia BANDADRIATICA
Published by Finisterre
& supported by the
notice Puglia Sounds
Recording
2014 Sherine
Ibrahim Kevo & The NDR Big
Band
Dreyer Gaido
2014 Dastan Morgenland All Star Band Dreyer Gaido
2013 Qetiq Rock from Taklamakan Desert Dreyer Gaido
2013 Chicago Red Brad Goode Origin Records
2012
Symphonic Fantasies
Tokyo
Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo
Music from Square Enix
MAZ Sound Tools
2012
HEWAR – Letters
to a homeland
Jivan Gasparyan, Rony Barrak,
Morgenland Chamber Orchestra,
Andreas Müller
Dreyer Gaido
Musikproduktionen
2011 SHOUROUK
NDR Bigband & Osnabrück
Symphony Orchestra live at
Morgenland Festival Osnabrück
Dreyer Gaido
Musikproduktionen
2010 Symphonic Fantasies
WDR Radio orchestra
Music from Square Enix
Decca-Universal
2009
Symphonic
Shades
Huelsbeck in Concert Syn SONIQ Records
2008 PLAY LIVE !
A video game symphony.
Live CD and bonus DVD
Jason Michael Paul
2007
The Darkness
video game/DVD
Gustaf Grefberg Starbreeze Studios
2007
Da Capo DVD
Live concert
Ziad Rahbani Ziad Rahbani
2006 Et Awadna Alayk Julia Boutros Rotana

10. 10
2006 Maalomat Akeeda Latifa by Ziad Rahbani Rotana
2006 Heart’s Desire Echo Bay Echo Bay
2006
Les ombres du silence
(Soundtrack)
Ziad Rahbani -
2006 The FlatIrons Suite Sax Appeal jazzizit records
2006 Basements of Hell Killing Joke EG Music
2005
Explosive:
The Best of Bond
Bond Decca
2005 Simply Music Andre Hajj Andre hajj
2005 La Be Ahlamak Julia Boutros Rotana
2004
Harem (Live from
Las Vegas) CD
Sarah Brightman Angel
2004
Harem (Live from
Las Vegas) DVD
Sarah Brightman Angel
2004 Classified Bond String Quartet DECCA
2003
Le Cerf-Volant
(Soundtrack)
Ziad Al Rahbani OGNON PICTURES
2003 Harem Sarah Brightman Angel
2002 Shine bond String Quartet DECCA
2002 Rewind Amr Diab EMI Release
2001 Wala kif Fairuz EMI Arabia

11. 11
2001 Ha Talvin Singh
Universal Island
Records
2001 Claude Chalhoub Claude Chalhoub Teldec Classics
2000 Live Antonio Forcione Naim Records
2000 Made by Walking Tim Garland Stretch Records
2000
Master Musicians of
Jajouka
Talvin Singh
Point Music USA &
Universal Music Japan
1999 The Gift Eduardo Niebla Eduardo Niebla
1998 Romeo & Juliet Vanessa Mae EMI
1997 The Devil's Thrill Vanessa Mae Angel Records
1997 Halim Natasha Atlas Nation Records UK
1996 Democracy Killing Joke
Butterfly Records,
Big life
1996
Kashmir
(Led Zepplin)
London Philharmonic Orchestra,
By Youth & Jaz Coleman
Point Music
1996
Power Of
Seven 7
System 7 Butterfly Records UK
1996 Musica Alhambra Juan Martin Flamencovision
1994 Al Rabih Abboud Abdel Al Aboud Abdel Al
1993 Suburban Gorillas Andrea Vicari Andrea Vicari