Mehdi Aminian is an Iranian-born musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker, and ethnomusicologist. He is the founder of Roots Revival, an ongoing initiative centered on music, film, and new forms of expression through thematic projects that engage musicians and audiences with living traditions from around the world.

Alongside his work as a composer and performer (ney, setar, vocals), Mehdi integrates his multidisciplinary studies in Humanities, Music, Ethnomusicology, and Computer Science into academic research. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Vienna, collaborating with the Austrian Academy of Sciences focusing on the singing cultures around carpet weaving in Iran, a cultural heritage that is quietly and rapidly fading and rarely documented.

Among his most recent work is “Woven Sounds”, a hybrid project that spans three dimensions: film, live performance, and academic research. He also continues to lead the Roots Revival Series, which is dedicated to showcasing the musical traditions of underrepresented genres from various regions worldwide.

His recent project, “SOS (Songs of Survival)”, is a documentary and music initiative exploring the role of Afghan music and its impact on displaced Afghan communities, particularly in coping with the trauma of exile.