Osvaldo Carlos Piro is an Argentine bandoneonist, composer, and conductor born on 26 December 1936 in Buenos Aires. He began studying bandoneón at age 10 under Félix Cordisco and later with Domingo Mattio. He joined Ricardo Pedevilla's orchestra at age 15 and subsequently played with Alfredo Gobbi for six years. After a brief tenure with Fulvio Salamanca in 1964, Piro formed his own orchestra in 1965, debuting at the Patio de Tango. His debut album was issued on the Alanicki label and presented by Aníbal Troilo. Piro received the Palma de Oro in 1965 and the Martín Fierro Award in 1966. Between 1984 and 1988, he lived and performed in Europe before returning to Argentina to lead the Ensamble 9. He was appointed conductor of the Orquesta Nacional de Música Argentina Juan de Dios Filiberto in 1994 and named a Distinguished Citizen of Buenos Aires in 1995. Piro died in La Falda, Córdoba, on 7 August 2025.
