Joseph Khoury

Lebanese-born Joseph Khoury discovered oriental percussion at the age of three.

He later nourished his love of music under the tutelage of Gaby Hasouany, Wassim El-Helou, and Fady Yaacoub at The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, where he was ranked first in oriental percussion for three consecutive years. He further honed his skills in the Libra percussion ensemble, directed by Mr. Yacoub and featuring the great Tony Anka. Equally accomplished on the darbouka, req, ketim and dahola, Khoury has accompanied some of the greatest North American and Lebanese artists since the age of fifteen. He has freelanced with many orchestras in Montreal, and in the past four years has often found himself accompanying oriental dancers. Always on the lookout for new musical avenues, Khoury is currently working with the Turkish darbouka technique, and studying Indian tabla. He joined the Backstrings group in 2008 and he is also a member of the samba ensemble Bloco, developing his experience with Brazilian percussions. Joseph participated also in several international Festivals like the Montreal’s International Jazz Festival and the “Festivaled du Monde Arabe” that has took place at the Place Des Arts.

Khoury is preparing for his entrance at the University of Quebec in Montréal (UQAM) to study latin percussions, and is now deepening his knowledge of solfege and musical theory at the University of Montreal. He is often invited to give workshops on Middle Eastern rhythms, and has started offering private Arab percussion lessons for all levels.

Nahgham is his own production company, complete with its own recording studio. This is where he produces oriental music for local artists. At present, he is co-producing an oriental dance album with Amelia.