The tour began in Seville with two concerts on the 2nd and 3rd of August followed by performances in Madrid, San Sebastian and Geneva, later proceeding to Salzburg where the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has once again been named resident orchestra. The Orchestra will then offer a concert in Beirut on the 19th of August before traveling to London for the BBC Proms in the Albert Hall on the 21st and 22nd of August.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary celebrations, the Orchestra intends to honor the memory of co-founder Edward Said with a special series of dedications. The concert offered in Geneva on the 7th of August was dedicated to Said and to the City of Jerusalem as Arab World Cultural Capital for 2009, since Edward Said was one of the city’s most illustrious citizens. Daniel Barenboim and Mariam Said recited poems about Edward Said and Jerusalem, and Michael Barenboim and Karim Said, son and nephew respectively of the founders of the Orchestra, performed as soloists.

The wide repertoire presented this year includes symphonic, chamber and opera programs involving works by Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, Beethoven and others.
The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra began its 10th anniversary celebrations with a highly-acclaimed concert tour in January 2009 which took in Berlin, Moscow, Vienna and Milan.

**WEST-EASTERN DIVAN ORCHESTRA**

Founded in 1999 by the renowned Israeli conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim and the now deceased Palestinian professor of literature Edward Said, the West Eastern Divan Orchestra unites musicians from Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt (accompanied by musicians from Spain, Iran and Turkey) with the object of making music and fostering reflection and understanding. Every summer it carries out a series of workshops in Seville where rehearsals are complemented by conferences and discussions before embarking on a series of international concerts.

Since 2002 the workshop and the Orchestra have been based in Seville and the project is subsidized by the Junta de Andalucía (Andalusia Regional Government). The Barenboim-Said Foundation was created in 2004 and manages several musical education projects in Palestine, Israel and Seville.

“The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has demonstrated that music is a useful instrument to break down barriers previously considered insurmountable – the Barenboim-Said Foundation told us – and it can build bridges that encourage one to listen to others’ stories. Although music can not solve the Arab-Israeli conflict on its own – they went on to say – it can be important in drawing people together and offering them the opportunity to listen to others. This orchestra represents an alternative model, based on the idea of equality, cooperation and justice for all, to the current situation in the Middle East”.

*(Translation from Spanish to English: James Williamson)*