1996 Photo Contest, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize
Photographer

Lori Grinker

Contact Press Images for Natural History

01 January, 1995

During a rehearsal of Dvorak's Slavonic Dance in G Minor, three women keep their trumpets poised on their lips while listening to instructions. The orchestra is the pride and joy of Al-Nour wal Amal (light and hope), a center for the blind. Eighty girls and women live at the center, which was founded by a wealthy landowner's daughter in 1954. Dozens more commute to the center every day. Besides a full school curriculum, the women's education includes handicrafts, cooking and home economics. The musical program started in the 1970s has produced two orchestras of about 35 members each. The main orchestra performs at home and abroad, while a training ensemble of younger girls plays mostly for school audiences.

About the photographer

Lori Grinker

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