HazarAva Ensemble

Recently, Vancouver’s HazarAva Ensemble was presented two prestigious Silver Medals for Best Female Vocalists and Trio during the internationally renowned Global Music Awards, for their album The Mystery of Nightingale’s Warbling. Considering the ensemble was only formed in 2016, these coveted accolades are an incredible honour.

The ensemble features Tehran-born Pegah Sherkat, Atoosa Nezakaty, and Banafsheh Farahmand – all of them classically trained in traditional Persian music. Over the years, all three have performed in several concerts individually. However, their breakthrough came when they formed the HazarAva Ensemble with the pre-eminent globally recognized composer Amir Eslami.

HazarAva Ensemble soon made a name for themselves for their inspirational classics from the Persian canon. Backed by a 10-piece orchestra, The Mystery of Nightingale’s Warbling is a lyrically moving set of 13 tracks. With its driving rhythmic quality, juxtaposed against the three vocalists’ polyphonic singing, songs such as Beloved are considered choral masterworks.

Even though all three find these Global Music Awards’ honours a wonderful nod, and while their voices keep reaching new heights in the music scene, they seem to be really grounded. A decision to rely on their own artistic instincts, talent and the irrepressible bond that has been created between them, was one of the guiding ambitious desires driving this album. Couple that with Mother Nature as their collective muse, the awards should come as no surprise.

“Nature is always the best inspiration,” says Pegah.
“As you can get from our group’s name, Hazar “Bulbul” has the unique way to create mesmerizing warbling that I always try to listen to them and then recognize and find them in our maestros’ songs.”

For Banafsheh;
“The beauty of nature has always grasped my imagination, specifically the singing of birds on a quite summer day, this is what I use at times to inspire myself for an upcoming performance.”

Atoosa agrees, explaining for her:
“My kids are my biggest inspiration, but I can also simply get inspired by the scent of a beautiful flower, listening to birds twittering, or listening to my favourite music.”

Pegah, Atoosa and Banafsheh came together after each realized their passion for music was too strong to ignore and thus would ultimately reshape their futures.

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, Pegah left it behind to pursue her love of music. She trained the Radif with Maryam Mansouri; while perfecting her vocals with Mahboobeh Golzari. Pegah went on to expand her comprehension of diverse repertoires by playing Tar under the tutelage of Nima Naderi. After immigrating to Canada in 2013, Pegah continued refining her playing techniques with Pooria Pournazeri and Maryam Soroushnasab. She has since broadened her horizons by extending her talents to the Kereshmeh Ensemble in Iran.

Born into a musical family, Atoosa has been singing and performing since she was a child. She later went on to study interior architecture in Vienna, Austria. However, her passion for music couldn’t be ignored. Through hard work and determination, Atoosa studied the Radif under her father, master vocalist Parviz Nezakati. She later trained under composer Amir Eslami, before picking up the Setar under the tutelage of Ali Razmi and Maryam Soroushnasab. Atoosa has shared the stage with great masters, such as Saeed Farajpoori, Parviz Nezakati, and Amir Eslami.
Like Pegah and Atoosa, the allure of music was too strong to ignore for Banafsheh. After studying visual arts and fashion design, she trained as a vocalist with Eshghi, before taking up the Radif with Salar Aghili and Mahboobeh Golzari. Later, Banafsheh continued to train her vocal techniques with Amir Eslami.

That training has created a band with growing appeal across cultures. “Music is incredibly powerful. Music tends to hit us at a deep level. Whether it is sad music that helps us feel relatable when we are going through hard times or joyful music,” says Atoosa. “I want people to have a pleasurable experience while listening to our songs. It would be a great achievement knowing people can make a connection with my music.”

“I think today’s world is very fast paced, one where people don’t have as much time to escape the realities of the everyday grind as they used to in the past,” explains Banafsheh. “One of my goals is to help bring people into a soothing world of melody while listening to my/our voices in a short period of time.”

“In general, Persian music is very deep and it’s based on strong meaningful poetry. Everyone can have their special connection and have their own percipience from this type of music,” notes Pegah. “The only thing that I believe our group is adding to this experience is the mysterious embellishments due to our harmony which is pretty much new to Persian Music and hopefully will help new generation to better understanding of classical Persian poetry and music.”

Given this prestigious award, it’s safe to say that HazarAva Ensemble has an illustrious musical future ahead of them. Established in 2011, the Global Music Awards celebrate independent artists based solely on their talent. This worldwide competition aims to place a spotlight on musical gems and unique voices.