Tsoof Baras is a professional percussionist, drummer, percussion educator and graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium.
Trained in a variety of traditional drumming styles, he is a versatile percussionist with over a decade of performance experience. Studying in Guinea, West Africa, Tsoof has been immersed in West-African hand drumming since childhood and has studied with renowned griots Mohamed Bangoura, Namory Keita, Epizo Bangoura, Adama Doumbouya and Bassidi Kone. His experience in Afro Cuban drums, and middle eastern frame drums is supported by teachers such as Gustavo Cereijo, Yshai Afterman, Jose Montana and Marcio Bahia. Tsoof’s unique experience blends with his classical training to allow for collaborations across varied musical styles and with artists of varied musical backgrounds.
He has performed as a percussionist with QMA award winning artists Menaka Thomas and MZAZA, Chukale, Spankinhide, DeepBlue, Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators, The Queensland Symphony Orchestra, MAMMA MIA! The Musical Australia and HAMILTON Australia.
Tsoof is a co-founder, director, producer, and predominant composer of SoundStruck. With the group he has created numerous percussion works for the corporate and sporting setting, managing large groups of drummers of diverse backgrounds for events like: the ICC Cricket World Cup, Dolphins NRL Halftime Performances, 2018 Commonwealth Games and SeaWorld Carnivale Aqua Light Show (2021-25).
Tsoof is a Celestial Sound Handpan artist, performing alongside Lachlan Hawkins and Darshil Shah in PanAlchemy. He has been a presenter for the annual PanOz festival and involved with Brisbane Handpan Lessons. His work with the handpan has seen him play for The Stairwell Project, performing in healthcare spaces for staff and patients at the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital and St Vincent’s Kangaroo Point, developing an original handpan album Dawn from improvisations at the hospitals.
As an educator, Tsoof has spent the last decade teaching in secondary and tertiary percussion departments, as well as facilitating leadership camps in urban and regional QLD. He has channelled this experience into his books “How to Get Good” and “The Percussion Blueprint” and regularly delivers workshops and tutors in schools in Brisbane, working with beginner to advanced, primary to tertiary, and across all genres of percussion from solos to percussion ensembles.
Tsoof is currently a sessional percussion tutor at the Queensland Conservatorium, teaching undergraduate percussion students in the Bachelor of Music program, and leading the percussion program of the Young/Open Conservatorium, working with pre-tertiary percussionists in private lessons and ensembles.
Ensembles
• MZAZA – Percussionist – 2024 – Present
• PanAlchemy – Percussionist (Handpan and Hand percussion) – 2023 – Present
• Viva la Musica – Drummer and Percussionist – 2022 – 2024
• El Camino Collective – Percussionist (Congas, Timbales and Drums)- 2024 – Present
• Hamsa – Drummer and Percussionist – 2022 – Present
• Shai Shriki Band – Drummer and Percussionist – 2020 – Present
• Menaka Thomas – Drummer, Percussionist, Guitar and Backing vocals – 2019 – Present
• SoundStruck – Director, Musical director, Composer and Percussionist – 2014 – Present
• The Stairwell Project: Musicians in Hospitals – Handpan – 2019 – 2024
• Talkin the Drum – Percussionist (Djembe and Dundun) – 2013 – Present
Musical Theatre Experience
• Pirates of Penzance – Percussion – Qld Performing Arts Centre – 2024
Produced by Prospero Arts
• The Singing Chefs and the Tub-thumping Orchestra – Brisbane City Hall – 2024
Produced by Viva La Musica and the Lord Mayor’s Children’s Program
• Mamma Mia – Percussion – Qld Performing Arts Centre – 2023
Produced by Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Bewick.
• Hamilton The Musical| Australia – Percussion Dep – Qld Performing Arts Centre – 2023
Produced by Michael Cassel Group
• Legally Blonde – Drums – San Damiano Centre – 2023
Produced by Padua and Mt Alvernia Colleges
• Mary Poppins – Drums and Percussion Dep – Qld Performing Arts Centre – 2022
Produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh
• Cinderella – Drums and Percussion Dep – Qld Performing Arts Centre – 2022
Produced by Opera Australia
• We Will Rock You – Drums – San Damiano Centre – 2021
Produced by Padua and Mt Alvernia Colleges
• Trevor Ashley Double D’s Show – Percussion – Qld Performing Arts Centre – 2019
Produced by Brisbane Festival
• George Michael: Listen to Your Heart at The Star – Percussion – The Star GC – 2019
• Redland Bay Carols By Candlelight – Percussion – Redland Showgrounds – 2019
Produced by Redland Bay City Council
