Biography

🎶 Biography of Parvin Bahmani

Parvin devoted herself to collecting the tribe’s poetry, translating over 1500 pieces of Turkish-language couplets into Persian and submitting them to the Arts Center (Hozeh Honari). She researched Qashqai poetry and music, documented her findings, and provided her work free of charge to students, enthusiasts, and researchers. She made great efforts in organizing and introducing the tribe’s artists, identifying unknown and talented nomads and connecting them with the country’s artistic community; she even offered her small apartment in this pursuit to Qashqai artists.

She expanded her research collaborations with professors from universities in Baku, Turkey, Kosovo, and Turkmenistan in the fields of culture, art, and Turkish language literature, as well as with UNESCO. She arranged music and vocals for various films and television documentaries and served as an expert in various programs for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). She was passionate about Qashqai music and preserved her nomadic demeanor even in the metropolis of Tehran. She believed that music is not a commercial commodity, and that regional music, in particular, is emotional and should be conveyed through feeling. She stated that “The women of the tribe are the true artists,” who have preserved and passed down this art and heritage generation by generation by constantly singing lullabies to their children, humming while milking, and chanting songs while weaving carpets and carrying out their daily work.

She was repeatedly invited and honored by various countries, including Turkey and Azerbaijan. She served as the director of music groups at numerous international and national festivals and received over 20 commendation and appreciation plaques from various festivals (Fajr, Regional Music, Ritual Music, Tamashagah-e Raz, Provincial Nights, Ancient Melodies, etc.). She was honored as one of the veteran women of Iranian music, the only female local researcher, and one of the 36 Masters of Iranian Regional Music. Some of her cultural endeavors have been published in the form of articles and CDs, and several others were in the process of obtaining licenses and publication. Yet, she remained concerned about the loss of this national asset and the oblivion of the Il‘s unsung artists. For a period, she taught folklore culture at Istanbul University, introducing Qashqai culture and art to the world.

Parvin Bahmani passed away on Thursday, October 21, 2021 (29 Mehr 1400 SH), due to severe heart and lung problems.