Ofelia Parto Information

Ofelia Parto was born on December 22, 1938, in Tehran. At the age of 10, she entered the National Music Conservatory. She benefited from artists such as Abolhassan Saba, Alinaghi Vaziri, Rouhollah Khaleghi, Hossein Tehrani, Mehdi Mofatteh, and Javad Maroufi. For years, she studied Iranian piano with Javad Maroufi and became the first Iranian woman to play Iranian piano (performing Iranian traditional music on the piano) and teach it.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in musicology from the National Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in cultural music management from the University of Art. After completing her undergraduate studies in 1957, she began working at the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture and Art. Until her retirement, she dedicated years to teaching music and piano playing at the former Ministry of Culture and Art, where she also served as the supervisor of the Women’s Orchestra. This large orchestra consisted of Iranian and Western instruments, focusing on Iranian music, with Ofelia playing the piano.

In 1998, she founded the Yaran Music Group with the memorable singer Parvaneh Pouran. After Parvaneh Pouran’s passing, legendary vocalist Fakhereh Malek took over the group’s performances. Ofelia Parto, after completing her academic studies, engaged in various musical activities beyond teaching. She performed in radio and television programs, collaborated with orchestras and singers of that time, mainly in the late 1950s. A notable musician featured in her CD brochures is Aminollah Rashidi. She also took charge of the Women’s Orchestra from 1969 for an extended period.

Ofelia Parto was actively involved in arranging songs and, after reviewing and approving the songs that came to her, incorporated them into the orchestra’s repertoire. In 1998, she founded the Yaran Music Group, with herself as the pianist, and actively participated in playing the piano in the orchestra. Finally, in 1998, she established the Yaran Music Group, with her close friend Parvaneh Pouran as the lead singer. Ofelia Parto, in addition to playing the piano, was involved in arranging songs. After reviewing and approving the songs that came to her, she used them in the orchestra’s performances.

In September 2011, Ofelia Parto, along with eight other female musicians, was honored at the closing ceremony of the 12th House of Music Festival. She received accolades and the House of Music trophies. In February 2017, during the commemoration ceremony for Javad Maroufi, Ofelia Parto was also appreciated for her contributions.