Alireza Ghorbani: one of Iranian music’s most well-known vocalists, in concert in Montreal

For one night only, Alireza Ghorbani will be stopping in Montreal on his latest concert tour, Iranam. The world-renowned artist began his vocal training at the age of 12. Initially focused on Quranic chants in Arabic, he soon branched into the classical Persian repertoire, notably inspired by Mohammad Reza Shajarian, a leading figure of Iranian song.

At 27 years of age, Alireza Ghorbani established himself as a soloist in his home country, having been selected to appear with the National Orchestra of Iran. Today, he is considered one of the icons of contemporary Iranian song, mastering both prosody and cantillation. This method consists of amplifying speech in a register between uniform recitation and psalmody. The artist also excels in tahrir techniques—rapid oscillations of the voice—, typical of Iranian music.

Ghorbani has gone on to have a career spanning more than 25 years, with over 20 albums to his credit, including Les chants brûlés : hommage au poète persan du XIIIe siècle Rûmî (Songs of Rebirth: Tribute to Rumi), released in France in 2010. The vocalist has also performed with artists from every continent, including Tunisian singer Dorsaf Hamdani, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. His most famous collaborations include Le rythme de la parole (The Rhythm of Speech) by the Franco-Iranian Keyvan Chemirani and Souffles du monde (Breath of the World) by French flautist Henri Tournier. The virtuoso has also been featured in several television and film projects in his native country.

With his powerful and affecting tone, Alireza Ghorbani moves audiences both in Iran and abroad, particularly in France and elsewhere in Europe, as well as in Toronto and Dubai, with more than 300 concerts to his credit. He appears with more intimate groups and with large orchestras, combining a respect for Iranian traditions with more contemporary innovations.

In 2024, he made history by becoming the first singer to perform at the ancient site of Persepolis in Iran, whose ruins are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the spring, he brought together more than 1,300 people at UNESCO House in Paris. During the concert, he performed his country’s national anthem, Ey Iran, with the audience’s voices joining in.

His latest project, Iranam, which means “My Iran” in English, broke attendance records in his country in 2024, drawing over 100,000 spectators to his shows. The singer revisits some of his hits from recent years and introduces music-lovers to new, moving pieces that address themes of identity, homeland, and collective heritage. The lyrics were written by Iranian poets from centuries past and present, while the melodies were created by contemporary musicians.

The show will take place in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts on October 10.