Partow Hooshmandrad holds a Ph.D. in music from the University of California, Berkeley. She specializes in Iranian classical music and the sacred musical practice of the Kurdish Ahl-i Haqq of the Guran region in the Kermanshah province of Iran.

She has done independent research and performance study of Iranian classical music since 1986. Setar teachers have included: Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Mehdi Kamalian, Behrooz Hemmati, for periods over a few years time, and Hossein Alizadeh, Kaykhosrow Pournazeri, Mahmoud Zolfonun, Afsaneh Rasai, and other well-known musicians for brief periods. She studied the zarb with the late Daryush Zargari for two years. Since the late 1980’s Partow has been teaching the setar and has given performances in programs sponsored by Mahvash Geurami, Mohammad Reza Lotfi, and various cultural institutes. She has studied the piano from the age of five with Amirkhanian, Farman Behboud, a piano teacher from Czechoslovakia who was only known to her by the title “Monsieur,” as well as other teachers.

Partow conducted research in 2000-2002 on the vocal and instrumental musical repertoire, tanbur, sacred texts, rituals, Kurdish dialects, and daily life of the Ahl-i Haqq of Guran, with special permission from the esteemed Pir (spiritual leader) of the Guran region, A Sayyid Nasr al-Din Haydari. Although they respect all religions, the believers of Ahl-i Haqq religion (Yaresan) are not Muslims or Sufis by definition. They are among the most humble and peaceful people on earth. Hooshmandrad has worked with respected masters of the Guran region, especially with those in Kermanshah, Gahwareh, Tappa’Gola and Simani. These masters in the sacred texts and the vocal and tanbur renditions of the musical repertoire include among others, Iskandar Khan Daniyali; Sayyid Barzu Danishwar; Ustad Tahir Yar’Waysi; Kaka’Birar Ustad; Sayyid Abbas Daman’Afshan; Sayyid Taymur, Sayyid Abid, and Sayyid Aziz Mihrabi; Sayyid Naser and Sayyid Khayal Yadigari; Jahangir Rajabi; Kaki Aziz Panahi; the Kalam groups of Gahwarah and Tappa’Gula and Simani; and Muluk’Taj Pur’Awil for learning the Kurdish dialect of the region. For a complete list of these respected teachers please see the acknowledgments section of Hooshmandrad’s dissertation, Performing the Belief: Sacred Musical Practice of the Kurdish Ahl-i Haqq of Guran. While in Kermanshah she also had the honor of editing a book on the worldview of the Ahl-i Haqq people of Guran: Rah-i Rahruvan-i Yaristan [The Path of the Wayfarers of Yaristan], by Sayyid Barzu Danishwar; Kermanshah: Cheshme-yi Honar va Danesh, 2001-2002 (1380 HS). She has also taken advantage of the generous help of the Kurdish community in the U.S. for learning about Kurdish culture and languages through individuals such as Shayee Khanaka, Farah Shahabi, and Husayn Mufti, among others.

Hooshmandrad has won several academic awards for doing research on the musical practices of the Ahl-i Haqq of Guran, Iranian classical music, and the music of Tazieh. These generous awards have included the University of California Music Department fellowships, Hertz fellowship, Mellon grants, Humanities grants, and a grant from the Kurdish National Congress. She has presented numerous papers, talks, and workshops on those topics in academic and culture establishments in the U.S.

Partow is currently continuing her research on the Ahl-i Haqq faith in Guran.