In the summer of 1999, Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. Said invited young musicians from Israel and Palestine to Weimar, then the European Capital of Culture. What was intended as a single workshop has become a fixture of the international music scene: for more than 25 years, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has brought its message of dialogue and understanding to countries around the world. Over time, the foundational idea kept expanding and taking on new identities. The Daniel Barenboim Stiftung in Berlin and the Fundación Barenboim-Said in Seville have since been joined by the Barenboim-Said Center for Music in Ramallah, Berlin’s Barenboim-Said Akademie, and the Pierre Boulez Saal, which opened in 2017.

This year’s inaugural West-Eastern Divan Festival brings all of these institutions together—and makes them part of the diverse cultural landscape of Berlin. Eleven concerts and events at four different venues across the city feature internationally acclaimed artists who have long been closely associated with the individual projects as well as students, teachers, and guests. The festival opens with Daniel Barenboim leading the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the Philharmonie Berlin.

In the summer of 1999, Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. Said invited young musicians from Israel and Palestine to Weimar, then the European Capital of Culture. What was intended as a single workshop has become a fixture of the international music scene: for more than 25 years, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has brought its message of dialogue and understanding to countries around the world. Over time, the foundational idea kept expanding and taking on new identities. The Daniel Barenboim Stiftung in Berlin and the Fundación Barenboim-Said in Seville have since been joined by the Barenboim-Said Center for Music in Ramallah, Berlin’s Barenboim-Said Akademie, and the Pierre Boulez Saal, which opened in 2017.

This year’s inaugural West-Eastern Divan Festival brings all of these institutions together—and makes them part of the diverse cultural landscape of Berlin. Eleven concerts and events at four different venues across the city feature internationally acclaimed artists who have long been closely associated with the individual projects as well as students, teachers, and guests. The festival opens with Daniel Barenboim leading the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the Philharmonie Berlin.