Frangiz Ali-Zadeh was born in Baku on 29 May 1947. She studied piano with U. Khalilov and composition with Kara Karaïev at the Baku Conservatory. She also attended a postgraduate course with Karayev and worked as his assistant until 1976. She became a professor at the Baku Conservatory in 1977. In 1980, Ali-Zadeh received the prize of the Azerbaijani Composers’ Union. In 1990, she was honoured as a “Meritorious Artist” of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic. In November 2000, she received the honorary title of “People’s Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan.” In 2019, she was selected for the “Music Creation” award at the inaugural Aga Khan Music Awards.

Ali-Zadeh is a celebrated pianist, known for her performances of Messiaen, Cage, Crumb, Schoenberg, and Webern. As a composer, her work combines traditional Azerbaijani musical techniques with those of the 20th century West. Her body of compositions is eclectic, ranging from a rock opera composed on folk poetry composed in 1985, to a string quartet commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and premiered in 2016. She resides primarily in Germany.