The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, will be performing at the Ronda Bullring on the 30th July from 9:30pm.

About the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra:

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra first came about in 1999 when Daniel Barenboim (Argentine/Israeli) and the late Palestinian literary scholar Edward Said decided to create a workshop for young musicians from Israel, Palestine and various Arab countries of the Middle East.

The object of the Orchestra was to promote the experience of collaborating on a common interest from different and diverse cultures turning it into a world culture concept. An equal number of Israeli and Arab musicians form the base of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, together with a group of Spanish musicians.

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra gets together every summer for a workshop in Seville where rehearsals take place with lectures and discussions on site. This is then followed by the start of an international tour including past performances in the Americans and the Middle East as well as most European countries.

In August 2003 the Orchestra played for the first time in an Arab country with a concert in Rabat, Morocco; and in 2005 it performed in the Middle East for the very first time with a concert in Ramallah, Palestine, which was broadcast live by ARTE.

In 1999, Edward Said and myself formed the West-Eastern Divan orchestra, composed of musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other Arab countries. Countries where the open ear has been too often replaced by the unsheathed sword, to the detriment of all.

Now, over 10 years later, we have hopefully achieved an orchestra that is worthy of your ear. And one which shows that people who listen to each other, both musically and in all other ways, can achieve greater things. – Daniel Barenboim

Tickets are from 10€ and can be purchased from www.elcorteingles.es

For more information on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, please visit: www. west-eastern-divan.org