West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

For the first time, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra will guest-perform at Stockholm Concert Hall under the leadership of legendary Argentinian-Israeli Daniel Barenboim, who is also one of the orchestra’s founders. The orchestra comprises young Israeli and Arab musicians. It has been shaped by and was born from the idea that on both a practical and symbolic level, collaboration and the establishment of personal relationships can bridge divides and demonstrate a path to peace.

The orchestra was formed in Weimar in 1999, when Daniel Barenboim and Palestinian author and literature professor Edward Said (1935–2003) created a workshop for young musicians from the Middle East to promote coexistence and intercultural dialogue. They named the orchestra West-Eastern Divan after Goethe’s poetry collection by the same name, a central literary work for the formation of the concept of world literature.

The orchestra has been based in Seville since 2002. The members gather periodically to rehearse and go on tour. The orchestra has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and is also a regular guest at the BBC Proms and the Salzburg Festival.

In February 2016, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra a “United Nations Global Advocate for Cultural Understanding”.