The Aref Ensemble was an Iranian classical music ensemble. It was founded by maestro Parviz Meshkatian, Hossein Alizadeh, and Mohammad Reza Lotfi in 1977. The group was named after عارف قزوینی (Aref Ghazvini), the 18th century Iranian poet and composer. Aref was dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Persian classical music. To some critics the Aref Ensemble, together with the گروه شیدا Sheyda Ensemble (also founded by Meshkatian), revolutionised Persian music.