Thirteen women, eight different geographical origins, a unique sound. This is ALMAR’À, the orchestra of Arab and Mediterranean women.

A word that means “woman with dignity” for a project that arises from the need to raise awareness of a present that overcomes the stereotypes associated with the Arab world.

Musicians of all ages, professional and non, traditional and modern singers; sounds that start from Arabic music, cross the classical one and enter the territories of jazz; eastern and western tools together. Everything in ALMAR’À is a hymn to the beauty of diversity.

The Orchestra is composed of Dania Alkabir Alhasani (Syria) on violin, Dima Dawood (Syria) on kanoun, Derya Davulcu (Turkey) on double bass, Sana Ben Hamza (Tunisia) on darbouka, Eszter Nagypal (Hungary) on cello, Valentina Bellanova (Italy) on nay flute, Sade Mangiaracina (Italy/Tunisia) on piano, Vera Petra (Italy) on percussion, Silvia La Rocca (Eritrea) on transverse flute; Kavinya Monthe Ndumbu (Kenya), Yasemin Sannino (Turkey), Hana Hachana (Tunisia) and Nadia Emam (Italy / Egypt), vocals.

ALMAR’À was formed in 2017 between Florence and Rome thanks to the collaboration between the Fondazione Fabbrica Europa and the Tunisian socio-cultural center “Dar Tounsi”, and with the artistic coordination of Ziad Trabelsi from the dell’Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio.
The project had the support of the Italian Ministry for Culture through the MigrArti call and the support of Fondazione Pianoterra and Fondazione Cultura e Arte.

[photo: Monia Pavoni]