Biography

“One of the most talented and motivated musicians to come out of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.”— (Paul MacAlindin, Conductor and Author).

A committed lifelong learner who capably communicates in multiple languages, Boran Zaza holds degrees in music education, musicology, piano and web development from top institutions in Iraq, Lebanon and Canada. Before transitioning to Arts Administration, Boran’s professional musical engagements had led her to perform in prestigious venues in Canada, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Dubai, Italy and the USA. Her piano performances have been acclaimed by the press as “dramatic and full of vivid emotion” — (Arts and Culture Today).

Growing up in Iraq, Boran was a pianist and percussionist of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq; and hosted her own classical music radio program called “Behind the Music”, which was the first radio program dedicated to classical music in the country.

Boran Zaza was the Executive and Artistic Director of the Oasis Musicale Concert Series and the Marketing Manager of the Orchestre classique de Montréal From 2018 to 2020. She is now the Director of Communications and Development at Orchestras Canada.

In 2022, Boran founded “The Zaza Award for the Best Interpretation of a work by a Female Composer”, which was presented as part of the Stepping Stone division of the Canadian Music Competition. In her free time, Boran is an award-winning videographer who also enjoys public speaking, giving conferences on social media for classical musicians, recording voice-overs, and piano tuning.

Boran is based in Rimouski, Québec, a beautiful city located in the Lower St. Lawrence region, just on the border of the Gaspé Peninsula. Those regions are on unceded traditional lands of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk and Mi’gmaq First Nations.