BERLIN – On stage, the musicians of the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin still play in perfect harmony. But inside, they are reeling.
The recent escalation of fighting between Israel and Hamas poses the greatest existential challenge yet for the music academy, founded to build bridges between young Israeli and Arab musicians.
“The situation has always been complex, but this is the biggest test since the academy was created in 2016,” Michael Barenboim, a violinist and dean of the school, told AFP.
The Barenboim-Said Akademie was born out of a long partnership between Barenboim’s father, the Israeli-Argentine pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, and the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, who died in 2003.
Students at the school receive a broad musical education but also attend classes in philosophy, history and literature in English.
Tuition and accommodation…
