Pari Maleki, whose birth name is Azra Khabbaz Yazdiha, was born on 6 November 1951 (15 Aban 1330 in the Iranian calendar) in the Darkhūngāh neighborhood of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, into a large and traditional family. She was the sixth child in the family, and her father was engaged in the tea trade.

At the age of six, she moved with her family to the Jamalabad neighborhood of Niavaran.

Early Interest in Music

Pari Maleki developed an interest in music from early childhood by listening to radio broadcasts and imitating what she heard.

• Her first experience of singing was in the first grade of elementary school, when she sang among her classmates.
• In the fifth grade, during a school celebration, she performed a song by Parvin while accompanying herself with a simple improvised instrument (a hair comb).

Afterward, without her family’s knowledge, she participated in school celebrations and competitions and won first place several times in district competitions in Shemiran. However, because these activities were conducted secretly, she was unable at that time to pursue music through an official path.

Marriage and Serious Engagement with Music

After receiving her high school diploma in natural sciences, she met Hassan Maleki, a literature teacher at her school, and they married. With her husband’s encouragement, her musical activities took a more serious direction.

Through the introduction of Iraj Teimourtash at the Ministry of Culture and Arts, she studied traditional Persian vocal music for a short period with the late Mahmoud Karimi.

Training and Teachers

Pari Maleki’s educational path in music has been diverse and multi‑staged.

1. a) Studies Abroad

• 1977–1980: Studied classical guitar in England.
• After returning to Iran, she continued her studies with the Moazen brothers.

1. b) Instrumental Studies

She later turned to learning the setar:

• First year with Jamal Samavati
• Subsequently with Masoud Shaari

1. c) Learning the Radif and Persian Vocal Tradition

• 1981–1985: Studied traditional vocal music with Master Nasrollah Nasehpour.
  • The classes were held in group format at the Chavosh Cultural Center.
  • The instructor taught the Dāvami radif (Tehran school).
  • Instruction was conducted without audio recording; students had to rely on memory.
  • To retain the lessons, Maleki would ask the teacher to repeat the material at the end of each class and would hum the entire lesson on her way home.

1. d) Learning Other Vocal Styles

• With Master Ali Jahandar, she studied the vocal style of Seyyed Hossein Taherzadeh (Isfahan school).
  • These lessons were recorded, a method she later adopted in her own teaching.
• During the same period, she learned old tasnifs (composed songs) from Amir Padar (Pāyvar).
  • Amir Padar had memorized many traditional and folk songs based on his childhood recollections.

Teaching Career

Pari Maleki began teaching vocal music in 1986.

• She initially worked with only a few students.
• Today she teaches more than fifty students per month in one‑on‑one private lessons.

Her teaching method consists of several stages:

1. Stage One: Teaching all dastgāhs and vocal modes except Nava and Rast‑Panjgah
   • Explanation of each gusheh, its phrasing, and structural components
   • Recording vocal ornaments (tahrir) slowly and clearly
   • Teaching one tasnif in each session
2. Stage Two: Setting poetry to the gushehs
   • Students must choose appropriate poetry for each gusheh and perform the radif with lyrics.
3. Stage Three: Teaching Nava and Rast‑Panjgah
4. Stage Four: Teaching the Taherzadeh vocal style
5. Stage Five: Re‑examining and studying the singing styles of historical and contemporary vocalists
   • Including Qamar, Ruh‑Angiz, Banan, Qavami, Khansari, Shajarian, and others.

Based on her experience, she believes that group classes can be harmful due to differences in students’ abilities; therefore she emphasizes individual instruction.

Over the years, many of her students have themselves become singers or instructors, including:

• Mahsa Vahdat
• Marjan Vahdat
• Yasaman Kazemi
• Homayra Mazaheri
• Noushin Mafi

Some others have been introduced to choral ensembles.

Teaching at Cultural and Artistic Centers

In addition to private teaching, she has taught at several institutions:

• Center for the Preservation and Dissemination of Music
• Shafaq Cultural Center
• Payam Art Institute
• Tamashāgeh‑ye Rāz Institute
• Sāz Art Institute
• Taraneh Art Institute
• Rudaki Foundation Music School

In 2015, she established her own music school named Khonyā.

Artistic Activities and the Khonyā Ensemble

• In 1994 she founded the Khonyā Music Ensemble.
• At first, the group performed concerts exclusively for women; later, with changing social conditions, they presented choral performances for the general public.
• Her performances have been held in Iran and several other countries, including:
  • France
  • Germany
  • England
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Switzerland

Artistic Collaborations

• Collaboration on three documentary films directed by Khosrow Sinai
• Collaboration on the documentary Barkuleh‑Keshi
• Worked as music arranger and vocal coach for the feature film Shab‑e Yalda directed by Kioumars Pourahmad

Family

• Tuka (born 1973): Master’s degree in Art
• Bamdad (born 1985): Tombak player and member of the Khonyā Ensemble
• Hassan Maleki: Literature teacher, journalist, and writer

Honors

At the closing ceremony of the 18th Fajr International Music Festival (21 February 2003 / 2 Esfand 1381) at Vahdat Hall, one of the festival’s awards and certificates of appreciation was presented to Pari Maleki.

The Khonyā Ensemble also performed part of their choral and instrumental program during the ceremony.

Notable International Performance

In the spring of 2006, the Khonyā Ensemble performed a concert at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on the occasion of the Avicenna World Prize award ceremony.