Angela Merkel at the Barenboim-Said Akademie with Maestro Daniel Barenboim

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming the former Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel to the Barenboim-Said Akademie, who was received by Maestro Daniel Barenboim, Tabaré Perlas (CEO of the Daniel Barenboim Stiftung), Regula Rapp (Rector of the Akademie), and Ole Bækhøj (Director of the Pierre Boulez Saal).

During her visit, Angela Merkel spoke with students, alumni, musicians of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, as well as faculty and management, and listened to a performance of a Mendelssohn Bartholdy piano trio performed by Shai Lustig (violin), Idil Pulat (cello) and Mohammed Alshaikh (piano).

Angela Merkel then visited the Akademie’s concert hall, the Pierre Boulez Saal, where she greeted Samuel Hasselhorn and Ammiel Bushakevitz as they rehearsed Franz Schubert’s Winterreise. By a lovely coincidence, Winterreise was the first concert the former Federal Chancellor attended in March 2017 at the then newly opened Pierre Boulez Saal.

We are grateful for Angela Merkel’s continued interest in the educational and artistic vision initiated more than 25 years ago by Daniel Barenboim and Edward W. Said — a humanistic project that led to the creation of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and, later the Barenboim-Said Akademie and the Pierre Boulez Saal in the heart of Berlin.

Photo credits: Jakob Tillmann

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