This will be the tenth summer when Daniel Barenboin joins young musicians from countries in conflict (Israel and Palestine, mainly) in the project known as “Divan’s Orchestra”. Today arrives in Seville the last part of the musicians, with candidates to musician between 9 and 17 years old, that will end their encounter in Maestranza’s Theatre’s concerts 2nd and 3rd August.
It was first the workshop than the orchestra, an unusual meeting of young people only joined by their musical learning. It was the idea of the Palestinian academic Edward Said and the pianist Daniel Barenboim, whose parents were russian jewish living in Argentina. The friendship between them was a symbol of human solidarity that crossed ethnical and religious frontiers.
It has been ten years ago since that first meeting in Chicago, coming after to Berlin (the cities where Barenboim conducted their sinfonic orchestras) and arriving to Seville, symbol of the three cultures, that has become , since 2001, in its definitive headquarter.
This year, the orchestra is composed by 103 musicians: 42 are from Arabic countries (Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and Palestine); 37 are from Israel; 20 are from Spain and 4 are from other countries. Like every summer, a group of young palestinian musicians from 9 to 17 years old will attend to the workshop. They will live with the rest of the musicians sharing some days of working and musical and human coexistence.
According to their tour, they will begin in Seville next 2nd and 3rd August with a different repertory every day.