Žarko Perišić was born in 1967 in Split, Croatia, where he completed his primary and secondary music education. In 1985 he passed preliminary exam at the Zagreb Academy of Music, where he studied bassoon under Marijan Kobetić, graduating in 1990. During his studies, he received numerous awards and recognitions at a number of state and national competitions as a bassoonist and chamber musician. In 1989, for example, he won the Yugoslavian Young Artists Competition (second prize, first was not awarded), and the following year he won prizes for brass trio and brass quintet at the same competition. He received the Rector’s Award of the University of Zagreb and Award of the Zagreb Academy of Music Brass Department. After graduation, he continued his studies at the Mozarteum Salzburg under Milan Turković. He was principal bassoon of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra from 1992 to August 1996.

In this period he performed as a soloist with the King David Violins Orchestra Jerusalem, String Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra Tel Aviv, and was the leader of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra Wind Quintet and String Trio Divertimento. In September 1996 he assumed the position of solo bassoon at the Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie, where he still performs (alongside other engagements), and continued his studies at the Mozarteum Salzburg under Richard Galler. Since 1997 he has served as a lecturer at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts, holding courses in bassoon performance, chamber music and orchestral performance, and was appointed assistant professor in 1999. He is the founder of the Synergia 5 Wind Quintet; in 2001 he became solo bassoon and member of the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra Novi Sad Art Council. He has performed in concert with Camerata Salzburg, OENM Salzburg, Klangforum Wien, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Georgian Chamber Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Budapest Festival Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe; he regularly performs as a soloist across Europe. He appeared at the Villars Festival in Switzerland and Richard Strauss Festival in Garmisch-Partenkirchen ‒ a place where Richard Strauss composed some of his works. Since 2004 he has served as assistant bassoon lecturer at the Zagreb Academy of Music. In 2005 he participated in the Music Biennale Zagreb, international festival of contemporary music. Since 2005 he has served as the principal bassoonist of the Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra in Zagreb.