Me

I am Sally Zori.

I am a transgender Iraqi (They/Them/Their) multi-disciplinary artist born in Baghdad, raised in the United Arab Emirates and different parts of Canada. Today, I live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

At the age of 11, I picked up my first drum, the Doumbek (middle eastern goblet drum), and never stopped. By the time I was 18, I'd played several instruments including congas, bongos, timbales, drum kit, and guitar. I pursued a career in music, performing, and touring while attending the University of Windsor to study Film & Television. My musical journey took me all over Canada and the world, performing in international arts festivals; The Sydney Festival in Australia, Dublin Fringe in Ireland, and the PuSh Festival in Vancouver, and was once lucky enough to have the opportunity (one new years eve in '08) to be the percussionist for Aretha Franklin.

During the pandemic, I made a pivot towards working in theatre. It has been an incredible experience to work on such beautiful shows as Morag: Your A Long Time Deid (Touchstone Theatre, The Frank Theatre), Da Kink in My Hair (The Arts Club), As You Like It & Julius Caesar (Bard on the Beach), and many more over these past few years.

I have also been lucky enough to have been given the chance to score a short film (Before We Were Told by Baraka Rahmani) and partake in a mentorship program for Sound Design with Mishelle Cuttler (Dil Ka, presented by Ruby Slippers).

Today, I'm still a session musician, percussionist, and after a 27 year long career in music, I'm feeling ready to shift my focus on other practices that are bringing me joy. I am excited to be working more with video and photo, capturing, editing, and sharing the world around me through my lens.

To learn more about what I’m involved in, check out my