盲人女子乐团登台表演

A group of talented female musicians from Cairo are creating beautiful music. But learning to play together as an orchestra is even more of a challenge for these women - as all are blind and must memorize entire scores from Braille.

Playing an instrument in an orchestra takes talent, skill and hard work. In this orchestra the musicians face an extra challenge. Every single woman is blind.

Aman Fikry, vice president of El Nour Wal Amal Light and Hope Association says, "El Nour Wal Amal Light and Hope Association was founded in 1954 as the first center in the Middle East for the education, vocational training care and integration into society for the blind girls and women."

Today the Association provides free education, literacy programs and vocational training to more than 300 blind girls and women. The women learn to thread carpets and weave wicker tables that they sell to help fund the school.

The members of Cairo's Egyptian Blind Girls Chamber Orchestra must first learn the songs by reading sheet music in Braille.

Since it is impossible to read Braille and play an instrument at the same time, the musicians must memorize every note in each song.

But this isn't the only challenge they've had to overcome - getting the tempo correct and knowing when to come in is also hard because the women cannot see the conductor - who would normally manage the orchestra.

Aman also says, "They have to memorize everything and then they do not have a maestro. The maestro only tells them to start."

The orchestra travels the world playing for embassies, music schools and other international hosts.

The Blind Girls Chamber Orchestra has performed on five continents and in 24 countries.