BIOGRAPHY

Ali Hossein Mahdavi is a composer, pianist, and producer based in Vienna whose work connects contemporary chamber music, traditions of Iranian music, and structured improvisation. His sound world is shaped by rhythmic complexity, distinctive voicings, and expressive form.

Born in Tehran in 1996, he began his musical path with tombak at the age of five, continued with guitar, and started classical piano studies in 2007. A key figure in his formation was Mohammadreza Laka, who taught him piano, music theory, and solfege over many years. In 2010, he began producing electronic and hip-hop music, which sharpened his sensitivity to rhythm, texture, and structure. In 2012, he composed his first piano pieces and created his first chamber works, including a duet for violin and viola. He also worked as music director and performer in theater productions in Tehran.

In 2015, he moved to Vienna to study composition with Filimon Ginalis and Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin, focusing on harmony, counterpoint, form, and instrumentation. From 2019 onward, he began a self-directed study of jazz, which has deeply influenced his later work.

In 2020, he co-founded Psahzz with Aigin Afrasiabi and Ali Baferooni. Psahzz functions as both an ensemble and a platform for genre-crossing musical projects. Since 2021, Psahzz has been organizing and continues to host one of Vienna’s most active monthly jazz jam sessions, which takes place every last Sunday at Loop with a different lineup of musicians each time.

In 2023, Mahdavi released two albums that reflect different aspects of his artistic language. Pyotr Ilyich reinterprets melodies by Tchaikovsky in a chamber music setting, expanding Romantic themes through harmonic transformation and improvisation. BISTOHAFT presents eight original compositions for seven distinct chamber ensembles. The album blends Iranian rhythmic cycles, modal systems, Latin influences, electronic textures, and detailed instrumental writing. It features fifteen musicians and was produced over several months in Vienna, with each piece exploring its own sound world.

In 2025, he released Lost Stop, a live trio album rooted in modern jazz and shaped by Iranian classical aesthetics, composed structures, and free improvisation. The eight compositions are based on original material that develops through contrast, interruption, and real-time interaction among the musicians. The album has been performed internationally.