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Photos: Isolated indoors, Iranian musicians perform on rooftops

With performance halls now closed and many sequestered in their homes over the Mideast's worst outbreak of the virus, Iranian musicians have been building their own performance spaces where they can. That includes rooftops littered with debris and water tanks, empty front porches and opened apartment windows where their music floats down on others stuck in their homes.

Updated on: Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM IST

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Mojgan Hosseini, 28, a member of the National Orchestra of Iran, plucks away at a Qanun on the roof of her home during mandatory self-isolation, in Tehran. With almost 78,000 cases of coronavirus and over 4,800 deaths to the COVID019 disease caused by the virus, Iran faces the worst of the virus outbreak in the Middle East. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Mojgan Hosseini, 28, a member of the National Orchestra of Iran, plucks away at a Qanun on the roof of her home during mandatory self-isolation, in Tehran. With almost 78,000 cases of coronavirus and over 4,800 deaths to the COVID019 disease caused by the virus, Iran faces the worst of the virus outbreak in the Middle East. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Behnam Emran, a 28 year-old self-taught musician, plays the accordion on the roof of his home in Tehran. Restrictions on movement and businesses have been loosened elsewhere in the country in recent weeks but life in Tehran remains stilled. Its performance halls closed, musicians have created spaces on rooftops, empty porches and open balconies. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Behnam Emran, a 28 year-old self-taught musician, plays the accordion on the roof of his home in Tehran. Restrictions on movement and businesses have been loosened elsewhere in the country in recent weeks but life in Tehran remains stilled. Its performance halls closed, musicians have created spaces on rooftops, empty porches and open balconies. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Musician Ali Haddadian, 42, plays the tar, a long-necked string instrument, from his window, in Tehran. Impromptu concerts break the monotony of isolation and offer hope to listeners. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Musician Ali Haddadian, 42, plays the tar, a long-necked string instrument, from his window, in Tehran. Impromptu concerts break the monotony of isolation and offer hope to listeners. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Farideh Sarsangi, 28, plays drums on the roof of her home in Tehran. With its own rich history dating back thousands of years, music has been a mainstay of public life. Western influences and sounds disappeared after the Iranian Revolution but re-emerged in recent decades. There still remain cultural limits on concerts and women performers. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Farideh Sarsangi, 28, plays drums on the roof of her home in Tehran. With its own rich history dating back thousands of years, music has been a mainstay of public life. Western influences and sounds disappeared after the Iranian Revolution but re-emerged in recent decades. There still remain cultural limits on concerts and women performers. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Composer and musician Midya Farajnejad, 36, plays the tar on his rooftop surrounded by TV satellite dishes and air conditioning units. Spending days in quarantine, away from the stage of studios, the city’s musicians have their neighbours for an audience, sharing in their emotions though music. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Composer and musician Midya Farajnejad, 36, plays the tar on his rooftop surrounded by TV satellite dishes and air conditioning units. Spending days in quarantine, away from the stage of studios, the city’s musicians have their neighbours for an audience, sharing in their emotions though music. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Mohammad Maleklee, 23, of the National Orchestra of Iran and Tehran Symphony, plays the saxophone on his window in Tehran, Iran. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Mohammad Maleklee, 23, of the National Orchestra of Iran and Tehran Symphony, plays the saxophone on his window in Tehran, Iran. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Shiva Abedi, 30, plays the Kamancheh on the roof of her home in Tehran. The rooftop terrace has turned into a stage, and the music here can be heard alongside the chirping of birds, or the odd car passing by. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Shiva Abedi, 30, plays the Kamancheh on the roof of her home in Tehran. The rooftop terrace has turned into a stage, and the music here can be heard alongside the chirping of birds, or the odd car passing by. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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Musician Arif Mirbaghi, 33, plays the double bass in the yard of his house in Tehran to an audience he can’t immediately see, but is connected to by his music. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 12:26 PM

Musician Arif Mirbaghi, 33, plays the double bass in the yard of his house in Tehran to an audience he can’t immediately see, but is connected to by his music. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

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