Zela Papageorgiou is a Naarm -based percussionist, creating and performing in the fields of contemporary-classical music, Sound Art and improvisation. As a chamber musician and creative collaborator, she has appeared with organisations and ensembles including Play On and Ad Lib Collective, and has performed in local festivals such as Melbourne Music Week, Melbourne Festival, Brunswick Music Festival, Midsumma Festival and Art After Dark. Zela is a current Associate Artist with Melbourne’s leading Art Music ensemble Speak Percussion and is the core percussionist for Forest Collective. She has participated in artist residencies with organisations including The Australian Tapestry Workshop (VIC), Bundanon (NSW) and Shiro Oni Studios (Japan).

Zela’s passion for cross-genre, collaborative and interdisciplinary music-making extends to her work in music education and community engagement. She performs regularly in programs that introduce young audiences to music and works in schools as both an instrumental teacher and creative workshop facilitator. Zela is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, completing a Bachelor of Music with honours in 2016 under the tuition of Peter Neville and Leah Scholes, and attended the Australian National Academy of Music in 2017.