Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Gelareh Pour  

I first encountered Gelareh Pour in 2012, not long after she arrived in Melbourne from Tehran. What was meant to be a brief visit to see her sister became something far more profound. Gelareh had brought her favourite Kamancheh-a Persian spiked fiddle, an ancestor of the violin-with her. The instrument, with its resonant bowl covered in animal skin, was something I had never heard before. The first time I listened to Gelareh play, her voice intertwined with the Kamancheh in a way that felt both ancient and immediate, rooted in tradition yet yearning for something new.

What struck me most about Gelareh was not just her technical prowess but her fearless curiosity. Although she had been trained in classical Persian music and performed with large ensembles in Iran, she was eager to explore new avenues and discover her own sound. Within her first year in Australia, she threw herself into collaborative projects with inspiring intensity. She was drawn to Melbourne's eclectic music scene and seemed willing to sit alongside any musician in any genre.

One of her early and personally favourite collaborations was with multi-instrumentalist Adam Simmons, with whom she created improvisational soundscapes rooted in dialogue and exploration. But her musical curiosity didn't stop there. She recorded with Terry Vainoras' doom metal group, Subterranean Disposition, and Andy McKenzie's yacht rock side project, Maps of Tasmania. She even performed with Mick Turner of Dirty Three for his solo work. Gelareh's adaptability was astounding, and she injected her energy into each project. She extended herself across artforms with multiple collaborations across shows through La Mama Theatre, eventually putting together her own productions.

"Our first meeting was a fun and deep experience. It was apparent that Gelareh already had a strong command of her instrument, steeped in tradition. Though, like all great creative artists, this was not a limiting factor but underpinned her ability to engage flexibly in dialogue. We both pushed and pulled, exploring how far we each might go. The discovery was as far as we were willing." - Adam Simmons

During this period, Gelareh began to focus on her voice and artistic trajectory. She recorded her first solo album, Tanin-e Melbourne (The Resonance of Melbourne), a collection of demos and live recordings that, while rough around the edges, beautifully captured her evolving journey. Not long after, she recorded a duet album with Ballarat-based guitarist Mick Trembath-a stunning collection of fully improvised tracks that highlighted her instinctive communication through sound. It was after this album that Gelareh seemed to fully grasp her unique sound, leading her to begin forming ensembles centred around her instrument and voice.

One of these was Minimum, a post-rock group that produced an eerie, dark sound, releasing one album titled MNMM through Art As Catharsis records. Contrastingly, around the same time, she formed Gelareh Pour's Garden, a group exploring ballads and pop-rock. This group found considerable success, performing at major festivals across Australia and receiving recognition from Music Victoria in 2020 and 2021 for Best Intercultural Act, as well as the APRA AMCOS & AMC Art Music Awards for Excellence in Experimental Practice in 2020.

"The exquisite genius of Gelareh Pour, we simply are not worthy." - Nick Cave

Then COVID-19 hit, forcing many artists, including Gelareh, to pause and recalibrate. But this reflective period only sharpened her focus.

Today, Gelareh is as active as ever, collaborating with a wide range of musicians, groups, and organisations. Her duo ZÖJ released their first full-length album, Fil O Fenjoon, in late 2023 to widespread critical acclaim. The duo recently completed their first European tour, a significant milestone that feels like the culmination of Gelareh's decade-long journey in Australia. In ZÖJ, Gelareh's contributions are wholly her own; she has truly found her voice.

Recently, Gelareh's work was celebrated with another significant recognition: the 2024 Radio Neshat Award for Best Persian Musician. This award highlights her role as a leading figure in intercultural music, bridging Persian traditions and contemporary Australian soundscapes. Gelareh's work with ZÖJ is a perfect example of this fusion, creating a new musical language that defies easy categorisation.

Gelareh was also honoured for her work in ZÖJ with the 2024 APRA AMCOS Art Music Award for Excellence in Experimental Practice. This award solidifies ZÖJ's status at the forefront of experimental music in Australia and underscores the impact of Gelareh's creative vision.

"ZÖJ are crucial to the way forward." - Hear and Now

In addition to her music, Gelareh is a vocal advocate for the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, which emerged from protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. Gelareh uses her platform to raise awareness about the ongoing struggles for women's rights and human rights in Iran and across the world. Her advocacy extends to speaking engagements and performances, where she intertwines music with powerful messages of resistance and resilience.

Her academic work has played a pivotal role in shaping her artistic and community-minded endeavours. Her thesis, The Lives of Iranian Woman Singers in Diaspora explores the concept of belonging through the lens of diasporic identity, delving into the intersections of culture, displacement, and artistic expression. Gelareh translates the theoretical insights from her thesis through lived experiences, offering a nuanced perspective on what it means to navigate and reconcile multiple cultural identities.

Currently, Gelareh is immersed in her latest project, Red Vacuum, a multidisciplinary work that draws deeply from her personal experiences and the broader themes of displacement and identity. Supported by SITUATE 24/25, this collaboration with Assembly197 and Chamber Made is a bold artistic endeavour that combines music, visual art, and performance. Red Vacuum tells a personal war story that resonates powerfully in today's conflicted world, reflecting the struggles, loss, and resilience faced by those caught in conflict and forced to rebuild their lives.

Gelareh's advocacy for social justice is further supported by her involvement with organisations like the Sydney Peace Foundation and Amnesty International. Through these partnerships, Gelareh engages in discussions and events that address global issues of justice, equality, and freedom, using her music as a tool for activism. She's also been a featured artist at the All About Women Festival at the Sydney Opera House, where her performances highlighted the intersection of art, identity, and activism.

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

Reflecting on Gelareh's journey, from her arrival in Melbourne over a decade ago to her current status as a unique voice in Australian music, it's clear her work is transcendent. Gelareh embodies the complexities of cultural exchange, the resilience of diasporic identity, and the power of music to bridge worlds. She continues to push boundaries, creating music that is as deeply personal as it is universally resonant.

In an ever-evolving musical landscape, Gelareh Pour stands out as an artist who not only adapts but redefines what it means to create in a multicultural world. Her contributions are not just to Australian music but to the global conversation on art, culture, and identity.

As she continues to inspire and challenge, Gelareh's future work will undoubtedly remain at the forefront of both artistic and cultural innovation, and I for one am here for it.