Banat al-Quds, which means “Girls of Jerusalem,” is a Jerusalem-based ensemble of young Palestinian female singers and performers. The group was founded in 2014 and now consists of 25 girls, ages 14 to 20. They meet every week at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in East Jerusalem for rehearsals. The choir sings Palestinian national songs about the Palestinian cause.

The Edward Said Conservatory’s branch in Jerusalem, which was established in 1993, was the launchpad for the group’s live performances. The conservatory holds musical workshops to introduce artists, who are usually from schools in marginalized areas and Palestinian refugee camps, to new musical instruments and help form chorus and percussion ensembles. The majority of Banat al-Quds members attended these workshops.

“I joined the ensemble six years ago, as I participated in the violin audition during a workshop at my school. I was chosen among a good number of other girls who auditioned,” Reem Sherif, 20, a violinist in the ensemble told Al-Monitor.

“For me, playing the violin is a way of showing that there are plenty of talented girls in Palestine who voice their cause and demands through art and music,” Sherif said.