West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra was founded in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian literary scholar Edward Said. At its core lies the vision of peaceful coexistence between cultures — a guiding principle summed up in its motto, “Equal in Music.” The orchestra — composed in equal parts of young musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other Arab countries, along with several members from Spain, Turkey, and Iran — prepares its programs in inten­sive working phases and subsequently ­presents them on international concert tours, fostering dialogue through shared ­musical experience. It has appeared at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Musikverein, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, 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. Most recently, in February 2026, the orchestra toured with Zubin Mehta, performing in Austria, Italy, and Spain, while the current summer season brings appearances at the Rheingau and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festivals and in Dortmund, Paris, and Vienna. Honorary members of the orchestra include Martha Argerich, Yo-Yo Ma, Waltraud Meier, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Numerous CDs and DVDs, along with Paul Smaczny’s film Knowledge Is the Beginning, document the work of the orchestra, which was designated a UN Global Advocate for Cultural Understanding in 2016. The orchestra is also affiliated with the Barenboim-Said Academy, a state-recognized institution of higher education for music and the humanities.

Lucerne Festival debut on 21 August 2007, when Daniel Barenboim led a program of works by Beethoven, Schoenberg, and Tchaikovsky.

Further Information: www.west-eastern-divan.org

April 2026