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After months without playing, the orchestra
members resumed rehearsals three weeks ago and held their first
concert since the start of the global health crisis on Sunday at
the Manasterly Palace in Cairo.
The orchestra, made up entirely of visually-impaired women apart
from their conductor, played for a small group, wearing masks
and exercising social distancing.
In March, Egypt imposed several restrictions to contain the
spread of coronavirus including banning all cultural activities.
The orchestra members found this extremely frustrating and
missed the fulfilment they get from making music, they said.
"The coronavirus came about, and we all had to stay at home,"
said Amal Fikry, deputy director of Al Nour Wal Amal
Association, a charity that runs the orchestra.
"The girls were very upset that they had to stay home. They
didn't have their special instruments."
Egypt has relaxed coronavirus restrictions recently, which
enabled the women to rehearse again, although in smaller groups.
The orchestra currently holds its fourth generation of
musicians. They have performed in more than 25 countries,
including Austria, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan and
Greece.
The women have special techniques to read and memorize notes.
They specialize in Western classical music, as well as modern
oriental music.
(Reporting by Amr Dalash; writing by Nadeen Ebrahim; editing by
Mahmoud Mourad and Alexandra Hudson)
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