"The consistently exquisite genius of Gelareh Pour – we are simply not worthy" - Nick Cave

"Exhilarating and heart-stoppingly beautiful." - Andrew Ford

ZÖJ is an experimental cross-cultural music duo based in Australia, comprising Gelareh Pour on Kamancheh Qeychak Alto and Voice and Brian O’Dwyer on drumkit. The duo has been creating music as ZÖJ since 2016 but have worked together in other projects since 2012. The ideals of ZÖJ are firmly rooted in true expression of inter-culturalism, specifically what it means to be from more than one place.

Gelareh Pour, a musician originally from Iran, has been studying and performing music since the age of seven. She is a master of the Kamancheh, a Persian string instrument, and has won several international awards for her work.

Brian O’Dwyer is an Australian born drummer who explores sound as connection. Working with the moment in which musician and listener impact equally through reaction and response, Brian’s approach to percussion and drumming involves incredible dynamic shift, ebbing and flowing with the various influences of the room.

Together, ZÖJ creates a unique and powerful sound that combines the traditional music of their respective cultures with contemporary experimental elements. Pour’s virtuosic Kamancheh playing is complemented by O’Dwyer’s dynamic and diverse drumming, resulting in a sound that is at once complex and accessible.

Pour’s classical background comes through in masterful playing and evocative interpretations of Persian poetry sung in Farsi. No ZÖJ performance is ever the same. Improvisation is tooled to allow each musician to explore their instruments within the confides of each new setting. The energy, a reciprocal process between the musicians and their audience, determines the depth of exploration into each piece.

A ZÖJ performance demonstrates a fluidity in abstract musical conversation. It unveils similarities and celebrates differences as new. And, like eavesdropping on any conversation, connecting meaning to context requires a close listen.

-= Awards =-

Music Victoria Awards
• 2020 & 2021 - Gelareh Pour and Brian O’Dwyer (Industry voted Award for Best Inter-Cultural Act)

Art Music Awards - APRA AMCOS & Australian Music Centre
• 2020 - Gelareh Pour and Brian O’Dwyer (Excellence in experimental music)
• 2022 - Zöj (Performance of the year - jazz/improvised music)

-= About Gelareh Pour =-

Iranian born, Persian Kamancheh and Qeychak player, singer, songwriter Gelareh Pour, studied her BA at the Art University of Tehran’s conservatorium and her Masters of Ethnomusicology at The University of Melbourne. She has completed her unique academic research on ‘The Lives of Iranian Women Singers in Diaspora’ at MCM in which she introduces the professional aspects of seven selected Iranian female singers’ lives before and after migration.

Gelareh has performed in Iran, Tajikistan, through-out Europe and Australia. Since arriving in Australia, she has collaborated with some of the country’s most innovative musicians and organisations such as Australian Art Orchestra, Punctum, Rubiks Collective, Cultural Infusion, ANU, University of Melbourne, Boîte, Multicultural Arts Victoria and more. Her flexibility and interest in different cultures and genres sees her working across a variety of music scenes, including, improvised, experimental, cross-cultural, classical, electronic, new music and many more.

Gelareh continues to work with a variety of musicians across many genres, with a focus on new Australian music.

-= About Brian O’Dwyer =-

Brian O’Dwyer is a western experimental percussionist/drummer has been recording and producing music since the mid-late 90’s. Brian explores across genres with a specific focus on cross-cultural and new music.

Personally interested in sound as connection, exploring the moment in which musician and listener impact equally through reaction and response, Brian’s approach to percussion and drumming involves incredible dynamic shift, ebbing and flowing with the various influences of the room.

As a self-taught musician, Brian’s technique has been developed largely by abstract concepts in music that have seen him largely remove traditional modes of western music from his playing, often concentrating performances on texture, shape, contrast, and colour. Ultimately, Brian’s fundamentals are centred in communication, developing fluent language with other performers, audience, and environment.

Brian has recorded and produced over 50 music releases that span multiple genres. He is an accomplished electronic soundscape musician and producer and has performed live with numerous acts.

-= Tickets =-

Tickets: $35 + booking fee ($45 at the door).

* Limited Spaces - please book early to ensure your place.

-= Location =-

Held @ The Open Space

11 Acacia Pl, Abbotsford VIC 3067

Paid parking is available in the public car park at Acacia Place, and across Victoria Street in Victoria Gardens shopping complex. Free parking in Harrison court and surrounds. We are on the lower ground level of Acacia Place.

Disabled access: If you park within the paid parking station off Acacia Place you will be on the same level as our studio. If you enter from Victoria Street level, a lift is available at the top of the first set of steps leading down to the river.