Bassem Rizk

Bassem Rizk was born April 10, 1979 in Achrafieh, Beirut. The capital then ravaged by war, resulted in the forced relocation of his family in Amchit near Byblos, cradle of the alphabet and the Phoenician civilization.

Surrounded by a family of artists and largely inspired by the passion of his father, who also played this string musical instrument, Bassem is initiated to the rudiments of Oud (Arabic lute), at a very young age.

At five years old, Bassem drew media attention thanks to his exceptional talent and virtuosity playing the Oud, Keyboard, and the Tabla (percussion instrument). Seen as a true musical phenomenon his talent was broadcasted on all regional radio stations.

At fifteen years old, driven by his curiosity to learn more about the Oud, he was introduced to the School of Iraq method tutored by the famous musician Munir Bashir. This great master of music awakened the passion in him to take on in-depth studies in order to undertake the complexity of the Oud, whose origins date back more than 4000 years.

During his studies, he returned to the roots of the history of the Oud and studied different works and essays of school founders, "Al-Sharif Mohiedine Haydar", "Shouker Selman", and "Jamil Munir Bachir". Through personal experimentation, he again attracted the attention of music critics by his performances of "maqam" by the Iraqi people and demonstrated a great mastery of counterpoint and music discourse.

At twenty years old, Bassem enrolled at the National Conservatory of Beirut. Throughout his journey, he deepened his musical culture through his studies and theories of eastern music. He participated and won the 3rd prize at the prestigious international competition of the Arab League in cooperation with the University of the Holy Spirit at USEK Kaslik, Lebanon.

Bassem Rizk contributes assiduously to the development of different approaches related to the musical Oud. Driven by his love for music and this noble instrument, Bassem aims to provide a new tone, a young updated modern musical approach accessible to all.

Through his musical research he has envisioned and developed ways which enable to break the ‘wall’ between East and West.

He has drawn the attention of various designers and the theatrical film scene for which he has composed original music to underpin their respective works. In 2004, he released his first CD entitled "ECHOES FROM A PAST" upon which all compositions bear his signature. In 2005, Bassem completed the development of a new method, which began to be taught at the EDMGY, The Ghassan Yammine school of music in Lebanon.

Bassem currently performs on famous musical stages in Lebanon and various European countries.

Considered by the Specialized media as the new hope of classical Arabic music, Bassem Rizk is currently one of the pillars of his generation regarding its knowledge and mastery of the Oud.