From its musical sounds, it's just like any other professional orchestra. But the assembly of white-veiled Egyptian women in matching black gowns has a startling difference. Every woman in the orchestra is blind.

The women in Cairo's Egyptian Blind Girls Chamber Orchestra first study the songs in braille, memorizing every note on their sheet music. The group has already performed on five continents and in 24 countries.

Since 1954, El Nour Wal Amal (the Light and Hope Association) has offered free education and vocational training in Egypt to over 300 blind women and girls, while managing the female orchestra.

(WATCH the video below, from Al Arabiya – READ the AP story in the Seattle P-I)