Led by concertmaster Michael Barenboim, the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble is the chamber formation of the namesake orchestra founded by renowned conductor/pianist (and Michael’s father) Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian scholar/author Edward Said—and co-presented in November of last season by WPA and the Kennedy Center. Sharing the parent orchestra’s motto of “Equal in Music,” the ensemble brings together outstanding young Palestinian and Israeli musicians in a collaboration that supercedes national and cultural boundaries. The ensemble’s inherent diversity also extends to this evening’s program, comprising classic works from Schubert and Mendelssohn and a recent composition by contemporary French composer Benjamin Attahir, who fittingly draws inspiration from cultures of both the West and East.
