West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Promotes Understanding
On August 21, 2005, an orchestra of Jewish and Arab musicians played Ramallah in the West Bank. The concert was was to honor and celebrate the life of one of the founders, Edward Said, who died in 2003. The orchestra was the dream child of Conductor, Daniel Barenboim and writer/professor, Edward Said. Barenboim was born in Argentina to Jewish-Russian parents, while Said was born in Palestine. They had a chance meeting in the early 1990s, formed a friendship, and came…