West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which brings together musicians from Israel, Palestine and the Arab countries as well as Turkey, and Iran, was founded in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian literary scholar Edward Said. The motto is “equal in music,” and the vision of a peaceful coexistence of cultures serves as the guiding principle. Over extensive work phases, the orchestra prepares its programs, which are then presented during international concert tours. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has performed at venues including Berlin’s Philharmonie, Vienna’s Musikverein, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Salle Pleyel in Paris, New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, as well as in Rabat, Ramallah, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

It regularly appears at the BBC Proms in London, the Waldbühne in Berlin, and the Salzburg Festival. In 2022, the orchestra performed Smetana’s Má vlast in Paris, Brussels, Luxembourg, Munich, and Milan; at the Prague Spring Festival; and at Lucerne Festival. Numerous CDs and DVDs, as well as Paul Smaczny’s documentary “Knowledge Is the Beginning”, document the work of the orchestra, which was named a UN Ambassador for Cultural Understanding in 2016. With the Barenboim-Said Academy, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is associated with a state-recognized university for music and the humanities.