Often referred to as 'Egypt’s miracle', Al Nour Wal Amal (Light and Hope) Orchestra stunned the audience on Wednesday 1 May, with a concert in collaboration with Spanish musicians: flautist Alvaro Marias and pianist Blanco Calvo.
This was a particularly unique occasion for the orchestra, which is known to give concerts as an ensemble in Egypt and abroad, to perform with international musicians at the Cairo's Opera. Not to forget that, trained and conducted by Ali Osman, Al Nour Wal Amal's performance in the Cairo Opera House's premises was important in the orchestra's development.
In the first half of the evening Calvo and Marias played solo or as duet. They performed a number of arrangements of known classical music pieces: Ravel's Habanera, Fauré's incidental music Siciliana, Debussy's Syrinx, among others. They were topped up with popular songs composed by Garcia Lorca, Granados, de Falla and others arranged for the piano and flute.
Following a brief intermission Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra beautifully played familiar pieces including Habanera from Bizet’s opera Carmen, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's waltz from the ballet Sleeping Beauty etc.
Alvaro Marias and Aida Ibrahim, blind flautist from Al Nour Wal Amal, joined forces and performed the fourth movement of Georg Philipp Telemann’s Concerto in E minor (Presto).
As usual, Al Nour Wal Amal performance touched the hearts of the audience and artists alike.
Alvaro Marias and Aida Ibrahim, blind flautist from Al Nour Wal Amal (Photo courtesy: Embassy of Spain, Cairo)
Calvo expressed her admiration for Al Nour Wal Amal, being Egyptian women in a patriarchal society. She added: "Tonight’s performance was wonderful, full of emotions! They [Al Nour Wal Amal] are very special women; they can't see notes or the conductor, while for me it's easy to perform."
"The concert's success illustrates the power of association by music," explained Montserrat Moman, Cultural Consular at the Spanish Embassy in Cairo. Moman further applauded the orchestra and the Spanish Embassy’s collaboration in preparing the event and expressed her hope for future cultural and social activities with the orchestra and Spanish musicians.
Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra consists of 43 blind female musicians, of which 5 are visually impaired and can only see shadows. Their age ranges from 11 to 40, covering a few generations of young musicians. The orchestra travels around the world and has visited over 20 countries.
Vice Chair Amal Fikry of Al Nour Wal Amal, a girls' association under which the orchestra operates, recalls the girls' first trip outside Egypt to Vienna in 1988. The Austrian Chancellor at the time told the organisation "They brought music to Vienna!" and referred to them as the Fourth Pyramid of Giza.
Fikry reflects proudly on the many international musical tours she has been on with the orchestra, which now depends on charitable donations, alas, in decreased amounts since Egypt's revolution in January 2011.
Flautist Alvaro Marias and pianist Blanco Calvo (Photo courtesy: Embassy of Spain, Cairo)
The girls study musical notation in the Braille system. "What is amazing is that they learn everything by heart they don't have the notes in front of them and cannot see the conductor," emphasized Fikry, whose jovial facial expressions exhibited her awe and admiration of the girl’s remarkable talent.
The Egyptian Blind Girls Association (Al Nour Wal Amal) was establish in 1954 by volunteers lead by the late Istiklal Radi. It was the first organisation in the region whose mission was to care, educate and provide vocational training and societal integration for blind females.
There are currently five branches in five cities with a compound in Nasr City that incorporates a kindergarten for blind and visually impaired infants, a boarding home for blind women who live outside the capital and a call centre that facilitates employment for the blind.
The Al Nour Wal Amal Music Institute was founded later in 1961 incorporating education and music so as to develop musical talents of blind girls, enabling them to express themselves through song or instrumental music. Many of the female musicians are from humble backgrounds and have their own apart from the Association, simply attending afternoon practice sessions with the orchestra.
"To date the music school for the blind is the most impressive thing I’ve seen in Egypt. Tonight’s wonderful concert shows just how well it works," expressed Anne Marie Moores, wife of Canadian defence attaché at the end of the enchanting evening.
Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra performing on Wednesday 1 May at the Cairo Opera House small hall. (Photo courtesy: Embassy of Spain, Cairo)
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