West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

About West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra consists of both Israeli and Arab musicians in equal numbers. The ensemble was founded in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim, Edward Said, and Bernd Kauffmann with the goal of seeking peaceful solutions to the Middle East conflict; the musicians range in age from 14 to 25 and come from Egypt, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Jordon, Tunisia, Israel, Palestine, and Spain. They meet once a year for a period of rehearsals and performances and have toured throughout the world. The orchestra was awarded Japan’s Praemium Imperiale grant for young artists in 2007.

www.west-eastern-divan.org