Visions of Nar

Born in Beirut, of Armenian heritage, Zela Margossian is a pianist and composer, who blends her cultural influences organically into the music that she creates. Zela has a B.A. degree in English Literature from Haigazian University in Beirut, Lebanon and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the Komitas State Conservatorium in Yerevan, Armenia. During her years studying in Armenia, Zela develops a great passion towards Armenian ethno-jazz music that she experiences in local jazz venues. After moving to Sydney, she embarks on a new journey of nurturing this passion and has been making her mark here as a blossoming composer and artist.

Zela is currently active performing her original compositions with her band, Zela Margossian Quintet, which she founded in early 2017. Zela Margossian Quintet’s music is a beguiling fusion of folk, jazz and classical, carrying influences from traditional Armenian music.  The Quintet’s debut album, Transition, has received positive reviews from respected media around the world such as The Sydney Morning Herald, DownBeat magazine, JazzWise magazine to name a few. The album also was nominated for an ARIA award for Best World Music Album in 2019.

Saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose has been described as “one of the most creative and restless musicians in the Australian jazz scene” (Australianjazz.net) and “a brilliant jazz composer and instrumentalist, a young man with a social purpose” (The Australian). He leads a multi-dimensional career spanning a dozen releases of original music with collaborative and solo projects across the world including The Earshift Orchestra, the Jeremy Rose Quartet and The Vampires. Rose has performed at festivals, venues and concert halls throughout Australia, Europe and the UK including recently touring Europe with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and collaborating with Benin born Blue Note guitarist Lionel Loueke.

Rose has received recognition through nominations for the ARIA Awards, three AIR Awards, Australian Music Prize short-listing two Jazz Bell Awards the APRA Professional Development Award for Jazz a four-time finalist for the AMC Art Music Award for Excellence in Jazz and runner up at the National Jazz Awards saxophone competition. As a label director of Earshift Music Rose has fostered a community of creative musicians throughout Australasia which NYC Jazz Records describes as “hell bent on pushing the very definition of jazz.”

Born in Istanbul 1992, Adem Yilmaz is a highly renowned percussionist of Kurdish origin from Turkey. He began playing his first instrument is Darbuka (Goblet Drum) at the age of eight.

Having Mr. Izzet Kizil, one of Turkey’s most recognised and internationally known percussionist as his teacher, Yilmaz specialised in a variety of eastern percussion instruments and found himself in a world where he was performing with many bands as well as being involved in many of those bands’ album recordings.

Since migrating to Sydney, Australia in 2014, Adem established himself, within a short period of time, as a versatile and sought-after percussionist and has been involved as a key member in many popular Sydney bands such as Masha’s Legacy with an album recording “Safe Haven”, Zela Margossian Quintet, with whom he toured nationally (2019) and to Beirut, Lebanon for the “International Jazz Day” festival in 2018 and whose debut album, Transition, earned an ARIA nomination for Best World Music Category in 2019. Adem also performs with Eishan Ensemble with whom he has recorded 2 albums and toured around Australia.

Yilmaz continues his musical journey in Sydney, collaborating with many artists, projects and participating in festivals.