Iran’s musicians reach new audiences with rooftop performances during lockdown

Musicians long have been a mainstay in Iranian life, dating back to the ancient Persian empires. In these difficult times they are adapting to newer ways of continuing their art. With performance halls closed and many isolated in their homes as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, Iranian musicians now find performance spaces where they can. For Hosseini, the qanun player, the music gives her an outlet she’d otherwise have as a member of Iran’s National Orchestra. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Behnam Emran, a 28- year-old self-taught musician, plays the accordion. Several musicians in Iran are playing on rooftops littered with debris and water tanks, empty front porches and opened apartment windows. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Their music floats down on others stuck in their homes, fearful of the COVID-19 illness the virus brings. The number of total deaths in Iran rose to 5,013. Saturday marked the fifth consecutive day with a death toll under 100 in Iran, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

These impromptu performances by musicians across the country draw applause and offer hope to their listeners, even as public performances still draw hard-line scrutiny in the Islamic Republic. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, pop and Western-influenced music slowly started disappearing. Classical music slowly re-emerged in the 1990s and has become increasingly popular. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Behrad Soukhakian, a member of the National Orchestra of Iran and Tehran Symphony, 37, plays violin on the roof of his home. Men can play music easily in Iran but women still cannot sing before audiences including men and hard-liners as it is seen to be pushing the limits of the country's Shiite theocracy. theocracy(AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Among those taking to the rooftops are female musicians like the 28--year-old Farideh Sarsangi, who plays drums. Their musical tunes help in breaking the monotony of soundless streets. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

“We’re not front-line medical workers, hospital custodians, or grocery workers, but I think many musicians — myself included — have felt an obligation to offer our services of comfort and entertainment in these trying times,” said Arif Mirbaghi, who plays the double bass in his front yard. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Iran has been hard-hit by the virus with more than 76,000 confirmed cases, including more than 4,700 fatalities.(AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)