El Azifet
El Azifet ( Arabic script : العازفات, Die Musikinnen ) is the first women's orchestra of classical Arabic music . It was founded in 1992 by the Tunisian Amina Srarfi and is still managed by her today.
The women are considered Tunisian ambassadors for Arab-Andalusian music . The group consists of 12 to 15 choristers , but no soloists, and instrumentalists who play the violin, the lute oud , the kanun , nay , darbuka , tar and double bass and occasionally the piano .
In contrast to the Tunisian Radio and the La Rachidia Institute , El Azifet is not subsidized by the state. The group presents classic pieces from Tunisian, Middle Eastern or Andalusian traditions, which they have freshly arranged and underlined with flamenco , rumba , tango or waltz rhythms. The French-Tunisian music of the 1920s and 1930s and the chansons of Cheikh El Afrit et Habiba Msika will also be performed .
The orchestra is dedicated to the exploration of cultural heritage, its originality consists in the selection of the pieces that it brings out of oblivion and exposes to the fire of the stage in an updated form. In addition, the group has social motives. According to Amina Srarfi, the group wants to show that Muslim women can do the same work as men and even surpass it in the quality of execution and that they can succeed independently of the men.
El Azifet has presented his art on concert tours in prestigious locations around the world.