Biography

Behrooz Mihankhah is a celebrated Iranian Canadian, ECMA-nominated composer, and pianist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Inspired by his migrations through Iran, India and finally to Canada, Behrooz fuses various musical traditions, compositional techniques, and improvisational schools of thought and brings together listeners of various backgrounds.

Behrooz started performing professionally as a singer/songwriter in 2011. In 2013, he shifted his focus to piano and composition while attending Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music in Tamil Nadu, India. Majoring in piano and composition, he studied jazz, western harmony, Carnatic music, and Konnakol (the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South Indian Carnatic music). While in India, he played, toured, and had multiple television performances with various ensembles and projects.

Performing mostly original music, he has toured internationally throughout New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Rajasthan, Mumbai, and locally throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.  Having had the opportunity to work with multiple ensembles, Behrooz holds a Bachelor of Music from St. Francis Xavier University with a focus on Jazz Studies. He holds a Music Arts Diploma from the Nova Scotia Community College with a focus on jazz and improvisation. 

His debut album “Lydium” was nominated in the jazz category of East Coast Music Awards as well as Music Nova Scotia. Behrooz was the 2023 recipient of Upstream’s Paul Cram Creation Award, composing a new work for orchestra “A Gorgon’s Tale” performed by Symphony Nova Scotia at the Open Waters Festival 2022. 

Behrooz is currently in the process of creation of a new set of compositons to be performed and recorded by his quartet in 2024. Behrooz Mihankhah’s Quartet is an ensemble of exceptionally talented composers and improvisers. With Ali Enriquez (Violin), John Janigan-Mill (Bass), and Morgan Zwicker (drum), each member of the group breathes life into Behrooz’s compositions, making them uniquely their own. Together, they create music that transcends borders, and resonates with audiences from all walks of life.

Simultaneously, Behrooz has been completing an Education degree at MSVU with the intention of becoming a school teacher in Halifax, and has developed an excellent rapport with students, and this combination of excellent and diverse musical skills and his interpersonal skills as an educator give him the requisite skills for developing music that will be both challenging and approachable for young musicians.  His musical skills as a composer and arranger are remarkable, and his own recordings as a bandleader reflect a deep understanding of multiple musical traditions. Therefore, he has been composing a piece to be performed by the Halifax Regional Arts Youth Orchestra at Open Waters Festival in 2024.