Lian Records

Mahshid Mirzadeh has spent much of the last 36 years mastering of the Santur and Persian Classical Music. A virtuoso on Santur, she is one of the finest Persian Santur players living in the west. She entered the Royal National music conservatory of Tehran at the age of ten, where she continued her studies in Persian Traditional music and embarked on an apprenticeship in Western classical music. She began her musical studies with Master Mrs. Arfa Atraei and continued her studies with one of the greatest santur players in Iran , Grand Master Framarz Payevar. After her graduation in 1981, Mirzadeh taught Santur for eight years in Iran . Mirzadeh came to the United States in 1989 where she founded Nava Ensemble and performed regularly throughout the US and Australia . In addition to the Nava ensemble she was a member of the Avaz International Dance Theater, a collective of musicians and dancers who performed Persian’s folk dance in the original way. She has performed and composed music for dance and instrumental ensembles. Mirzadeh tours extensively in North America, Europe, Egypt and Israel , performing in major international festivals and concert halls. Mirzadeh has appeared on many TV and radio interviews with live performance. Mirzadeh has a wide range of musical influences; she crosses cultural borders with her work. Her performances of Persian music and her many collaborations have attracted audiences around the globe. She has recorded and performed with an impressive list of premier musicians including Djivan Gasparyan, Swapan Chaudhuri, John Bergamo, Miroslv Tadic, David Johnson, Pedro Eustacha, Lisa Lynne Franco, and Wadada Leo Smith. Mahshid has been working with Los Angeles Music Center since 2005. Mirzadeh has also recorded sound-tracks for Hollywood films including The Syriana, Hulk and Life within Lies. Along with several colleagues she founded The Lian Ensemble and publishing several albums. She composes for Lian Ensemble and teaches Santur in Los Angeles , where she resides.