About
Rob was born on 12-02-1982 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
At the age of 9, he picked up sticks for the first time, never to let them go again.
After obtaining his HAFABRA diplomas, he decided in 2002
to go to the Tilburg Conservatory (improvised music with an emphasis on Afro/Latin).
During his studies, he took his first steps in the theater world. With V&V, he toured with major musicals, including Tita Tovenaar, Grease, and Fame.
As drummer of the Fontys Jazz Choir he became world champion at the World Choir Games 2016 in Sochi, Russia.
Roots
After six years in the orchestra pit, it was time to call it a day, and his desire to travel and play in bands resurfaced. It was through OMNIA that Rob discovered his own culture. He discovered his roots in the Celtic/Viking world, and for eight years, Rob would play with OMNIA Pagan Folk at major folk festivals worldwide. He performed at Sinaloa Cultural Festival (Mexico), Faerieworlds, Faeriecon (USA), and Wacken Open Air, Castlefest, and Montelago Celtic Festival (Europe).
Together with the didgeridoo player from OMNIA, Rob forms ThunderCrow so that they can also tour as a duo.
The GUDA drum made its debut after a search for a unique instrument to complement ThunderCrow's sound. This instrument proved so interesting that Rob also developed a complete solo show and began giving workshops on the GUDA drum.
Zen Percussion
Rob came to Zen Percussion (Ukraine) and a fruitful collaboration began. Zen Percussion has been making special drums for Rob for several years now. They also appointed Rob as the Dutch ambassador for the GUDA drum, promoting it through their channels.
Since 2018, Rob has been playing with Power to the Pipo, a jazz/funk whirlwind that knows how to make any event a party. Since the release of "Spetters," they've played at Popronde, the Parade, Jazz in Duketown, and are regulars at the Vierdaagsefeesten (Four Days Marches).
In 2022, NEBALA, an international collective that combines Celtic/Nordic music with Indo-European history, launched. Jonas Lorentzen (Danish, Heilung) and Kjell Braaten (Norwegian, Wardruna) are among the members of this collective, which performed at Castlefest and Midgardsblot in the summer of 2022.
Live
Rob is actively involved with the following bands/acts:
Project Baraguda (GUDA drum/percussion)
the Dolmen (Celtic rock)
Stacked Actors (Foo Fighters tribute)
Rob van Barschot collaborates with/plays on:
Orbis drum
Balbex
Amedia
Folkfriends.de