Beginning his tuition at the age of 4, Tsoof Baras is a versatile percussionist trained in classical orchestral percussion as well as Cuban, African and Middle-Eastern hand drumming styles. As a child, he was exposed to Taiko drumming in the extra curricular programs of his school and continued to study in the instrumental music program until the end of his primary education.
Transitioning into grade 8, Tsoof was introduced to the percussion ensemble and immersed in Big Band, Wind Orchestra, and two audition choirs. He participated in QYO, was a part of MOST in 2009 and 2011, and was a part of ‘Creative Generation: State Schools Onstage’ from 2008-2011. Most notably, Tsoof was a part of Mac-Cussion, who performed on Australia’s Got Talent in 2011 and reached the semi-finals. The group later on received many invitations to corporate events such as the Lord Mayor’s Business awards, various performances for staff at Education Queensland as well as Creative Generation: State Schools Onstage.
In this time, Tsoof also played in the Beenleigh Theatre’s productions of ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Dusty – The Original Pop Diva’ as a drum kit player. He went on to perform in the Queensland Conservatorium’s production of ‘Hair’, Savoyards’ ‘Annie’ and the Ipswich Theatre’s production of ‘Evita’.
With 16 years of performance experience and study, Tsoof is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, majoring in percussion and advanced performance. He is a founder and predominant composer of SoundStruck, a Brisbane based percussion group dedicated to delivering high impact and entertaining percussion music with visual effects. The group has performed at the ICC 2015 Cricket World Cup, 2015 NRL Semifinals, The Toowoomba Food Wine and Flower Festival and have also received inquiries from international festivals, universities, product launches, television shows and large corporate events.
Tsoof is also a member of the long running African drum and dance group, Spankinhide. He has performed with the group at the 2015 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, 50th anniversary of the Ipswich Civic Centre as well as festivals like Island Vibe and the Earth Frequency Festival.
In the future, Tsoof aspires to create a percussion show, inspired by STOMP and the Blue Man Group that incorporates visual elements into drumming and percussion, both physically and electronically.
