After winning both the First Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition, the First Prize in the Montreal International Classical Guitar Competition, and the ‘Governor of Tokyo’ prize in the Tokyo International Classical Guitar Competition, Tariq Harb quickly established himself as one of the leading classical guitarists of his generation. Harb’s “well-deserved acclaim complements the virtuosity and freshness with which he is known to perform.” (Savino Music) His playing demonstrates “not just his flawless technique but also his refined taste and a great, innate sense for truly beautiful interpretation.” (The Jordan Times) Chosen as CBC Radio’s NEXT! guitarist in 2013, he was celebrated as “Canada’s next classical guitar superstar” and was showcased performing at the Glenn Gould studios in Canada, which helped further propel his career worldwide.

Harb’s past concert appearances in North America, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia, are highlighted by performances in prestigious halls such as the 2000 year-old Roman Amphitheatre in Jordan, the Bunka Kaikan concert hall in Tokyo, the world-famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre for TEDGlobal in the UK, and the illustrious Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Moreover, Harb performed and gave masterclasses in major guitar festivals including the Sauble Beach Guitar Festival and the Guitar Foundation of America Convention and Competition. Future notable engagements include a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in October 2017, and his Carnegie Hall debut in March 2018.

Tariq Harb has four solo albums in his name to date: ‘From Bach to Barrios’, ‘A Guitar Through the Eras’, ‘Harb Plays Sor Studies’ and ‘Copla’. Harb also released a DVD to compliment his ‘Harb Plays Sor Studies’ album, comprising video performances and educational material on all the twenty Sor/Segovia Studies.

A Jordanian-Canadian with Palestinian roots, Harb moved to Canada to commence university studies. At age 25, after quitting his initial career in finance and starting a performance career in music, he diligently studied the guitar with Roddy Ellias, Patrick Kearney, Jerome Ducharme, Dr. Garry Antonio and Dr. Jeffrey McFadden, and the violin with Clemens Merkel of the Bozzini Quartet and Claude Gelineau. He also participated in numerous masterclasses, including ones run by Jason Vieaux, Pavel Steidl, Rémi Boucher, and Manuel Barrueco. Harb currently holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto, a Masters in Performance degree from McGill University, and Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from Concordia University. He joined Concordia University’s Music Department as a faculty member in Fall 2015. Tariq Harb is sponsored by Hill Guitar Company, Savarez, and LaBella Strings.

Photo Credit: Amer Sweidan