Biography
There is something vividly distinct about Daniel Mehdizadeh's music. This Canadian composer, who is currently completing his doctorates at the University of Toronto, 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 has numerous international commissions and premieres including Canada, United States, Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and Chile. His works have been performed annually at the Music & Beyond Festival since 2013 and has had international exposure including appearance as guest composer on CBC Radio. His recent collaborations include a newly composed piece 'Ode to Ferdowsi' for Orchestre de la Francophonie under the baton of Simon Rivard, as well as works for twelve saxophones as composer-in-resident at the University of Toronto, Ronald J. Royer and the Winds of Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphonie Comique for full Orchestra, Tufaan (Storm) with Orchestre de la Francophonie—Jean-Philippe Tremblay, and Asrāre Azal with world renowned theremin player, Thorwald Jørgensen, the creation of a piece based on a poem by Persian poet Omar Khayyam set for harp, theremin and string orchestra - Duo Jørgensen - De Leuw - premiered in both Europe and North America.
Furthermore, Mehdizadeh is a specialist in the performance and interpretation of baroque music, specifically that of J. S. Bach's keyboard works, particularly the Art of Fugue. As a pianist, organist and music director, Mehdizadeh strives to re-surface the once hidden gems of such great masters.