Steve Barakatt
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[edit] STEVE BARAKATT (COMPOSER/PRODUCER/PIANIST/SINGER)
THE MUSICIAN
Steve Barakatt was born in Quebec City, Canada on May 17, 1973 into a family of music lovers. When he was only 4 years old, he fell under the spell of music and began piano lessons. Over the next 15 years he studied classical music and then moved on to jazz.
Steve enjoyed many challenging musical experiences from an early age, including that of guest soloist with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra when he was only 13.
When he was 16, Steve became fascinated by composition, arranging and production. He studied the new technology available and soon mastered all the intricacies of music programming. So much so, that the prestigious Japanese firm Roland Corporation invited him to present their new products at the 1992 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.
A versatile and imaginative musician, Steve has been invited to appear on various recordings and live performances with many artists and ensembles from the Alexandrov Red Army Choir to the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. A true passionate artist, Steve enjoys collaborating with other musicians and exploring all styles of music.
THE RECORDING ARTIST
Steve Barakatt recorded his first solo album, Double Joie, when he was only 14. It was released in Canada on November 11, 1987 and less than a week later the album was in the top 20 best-selling albums.
He has composed and produced numerous albums: Audacity, Escape, Steve Barakatt LIVE, Quebec, Eternity, A Love Affair, All About Us. These recordings reached the charts in many countries around the world and his music is broadcast on various radio stations. A number of his compositions are also used as themes for popular TV shows. As a singer, Steve is working on the production of his first vocal album. Several tracks have been recorded at Sir George Martin's Air Studios in London featuring the Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra and several renowned musicians.
THE COMPOSER / PRODUCER
An outstanding performer, Steve is also much in demand as a composer/producer for many artists from all over the world. In 1997 Steve produced the young Canadian singer, Natasha St-Pier's album. His composition Sans le Savoir instantly hit the top 5 on the radio charts, and the video of the song became number one on Musique Plus, Quebec’s MTV.
In 1997 he wrote many other songs including C’est une Promesse for Canadian singer Johanne Blouin and En la arena for Argentina’s male singer Guillermo Saldana.
In Hong Kong, Steve has been asked to compose for a number of great artists. In 1995, he composed Mou Tian which was performed by the Asian stars Kelly Chen, Joyce Yau, Daniel Chan and Ray Chan. In 1996 he composed a duet for superstars Leon Lai and Alan Tam, Song of Stars, which featured them singing together for the first time on record. Steve also wrote Ni Shi Shui for Leon Lai’s solo album Feel Leon released the same year.
In Japan, Steve’s song Kaze To Kino Uta-Quebec 1608 was performed by the Japanese singer Sincere. The popular singer Yoko Oginome recorded Steve’s composition We’ll Be Together and the song became the main theme for the highly popular TV show Shitteru Tsumori on the NTV network. Steve composed Watashi Dake De Ite for superstar Noriko Sakai. His instrumental selection Nuit d’Amour à Paris was the theme for the TV drama Kiss Again on the NHK network. Steve’s compositions have been used in major TV sports programs including the FIFA World Cup 2002 in Japan (NHK) as well as for the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco (Fuji TV).
In England, Steve composed the score for the TV series Urban Myth Chillers starring Omar Sharif. In 2006, Steve composed and produced the song Here We Are, in which he duets with Canadian singer, Audrey de Montigny. The song is featured on Steve’s first vocal album "Here I Am" and simultaneously on Audrey’s album Take Me As I Am. In 2007, Steve produced John Lennon's song "Love" peformed by Audrey de Montigny for the project Make Some Noise, Amnesty International in collaboration with Yoko Ono.
THE PERFORMER
In the course of his career, Steve has been asked to perform his music on more than 500 world stages. This includes participating in concerts and events covering provincial, national and international territories.
From the Nagoya Dome to the United Nations in New York, he has performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people in all four corners of the globe.
AD VITAM AETERNAM, THE SYMPHONY RE-INVENTED
In 2003, Steve was inspired to create a work on a grander scale, by composing and conceiving a symphonic work based on the sixteen stages of human experience. After more than 30 months creating this masterpiece, on September 30, 2005, the world premiere of Ad Vitam Aeternam was presented at the Grand Theater of Quebec accompanied by l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec
On June 16, 2006 the European premiere was presented in Russia with the Yaroslavl Symphonic Orchestra under the baton of renowned conductor Murad Annamamedov. In 2007, Ad Vitam Aeternam will be performed in Asia and several Canadian cities.
This production will also be performed during the International Eucharistic Congress of Quebec and for the 400 hundredth anniversary of Quebec City on June 18-19, 2008, at the Grand Theater of Quebec. In 2010, it will be performed during the festivities celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the city of Yaroslavl, Russia a UNESCO world heritage city.
Steve Barakatt dreams of combining this symphonic work with scenic and artistic elements which include dance, projections, acrobats and visual effects. It would allow the completion of the creation of the artistic, physical and philosophical universe of Ad Vitam Aeternam to one day become a permanent show.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Winner of the Sillery music festival (1984 and 1986)
3 Nominations by the ADISQ (Between 1987- 2005)
Youngest recipient of the Order of Merit of the St Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec (1988)
Nominated for the “Prix Rayonnement hors Québec” - Grands Québécois (1996)
Certificate of acknowledgement from the United Nations (2004)
Recipient of the ARISTA Bank of Montreal Prize “Young International Business Leader in Quebec” (2005)
Young Personality of the Year (National and International) Youth Chamber of Commerce of Quebec (2005)
Recipient of the Pierre-Garon prize (Artist of the year, Quebec City) (2006)
Honorary Governor of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in recognition of his contribution for the program in Quebec (2006)
UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
Steve Barakatt and his wife Elena Grosheva were appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors on March 9th, 2007
STEVE BARAKATT OFFICIAL WEBSITE[[fr:Steve Barakatt
