Biography

There is something vividly distinct about Daniel Mehdizadeh's music. This Canadian composer is revered for his intricate, unpredictable and haunting works. The sound and gesture of his pieces bury themselves deep in complex imagination—participating you in an exploration of uncertain visceral implications.


His productions are a clear reflection of his intimate, vast and diverse knowledge of music. Mehdizadeh has been involved in both national and international festival series. He is regularly commissioned and holds numerous performances in Europe and North America. His works have had global exposure and have been broadcasted across Canada and US including appearance as guest composer on CBC Radio. 


Mehdizadeh holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Toronto (to be conferred June 2020 - supervisor Gary Kulesha) and holds a Master (2013) and Bachelor (2010) of Arts in Music Composition from the University of Ottawa (supervisors Steven Gellman and John Gordon Armstrong). He spent six years studying under Steven Gellman prior to moving to Toronto. Other teachers include Alexander Rapoport (1st year DMA) and Ostad Abbas Khoshdel (childhood teacher). He has worked closely with conductors Ronald Royer, Simon Rivard and Jeffrey Reynolds, composer Simon Bertrand and pianist and conductor Jean Desmarais.


Mehdizadeh has served as Composer-in-Residence for University of Toronto (2016/17, 2018/19) and University of Toronto Schools (2017/18). He has given lectures and composition workshops at UTS as well as adjudication and mentorship for the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the SPO New Generation Composer Project (2018/19, 2019/20). 


Mehdizadeh’s works receive funding through commissions and private patrons, as well as institutions including the latest Ontario Arts Council studio recording grant. He has collaborated with Orchestre de la Francophonie, Winds of Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, University of Toronto Wind Symphony, the Princeton Singers and the Ewashko Singers amongst many others. Notable world-renowned performers include Belgian flautist Marc Grauwels and Dutch theremin player Thorwald Jørgensen with multiple commissions and performances in festivals around the world. 


Mehdizadeh is currently based in Toronto.