Born in Jerusalem, Bakr Khleifi started his music education at  a very early age, beginning with violin at the age of 4, and  switching to Oud at the age of 6. He Studied under various Oud masters, including Ahmad al-Khatib, Simon Shaheen, and Samir Joubran. Bakr’s passion for music finally led him to pick up the Double Bass as well, for which the inspiration came after attending Edward  Said’s and Daniel Barenboim’s West Eastern Divan Orchestra as a listener. He joined the orchestra later as a Double Bass Player. After finishing high school, Bakr rejoined his first mentor Ahmad al-Khatib in Sweden, where he did his bachelor’s in World Music, specialising in Oud. During his 3 years in Sweden, he was exposed to many other music disciplines,  including Persian music, and North Indian music. Bakr pursued his Master’s degree in Double Bass performance at the University of Tel Aviv. 

Bakr’s music reflects his long journey in different music disciplines, in particular Maqamic music and Western Classical music. His compositions and way of playing combines the melodic progressions and modulations often heard in Maqamic music, as well as complex and diverse Rhythms, accompanied often by harmony and dynamic playing. In his music, Bakr puts a lot of emphasis on the quality  and different textures of sound that the Oud can produce.