Corcord is expressed in music as harmony. An orchestra requires musicians to listen to each other; none should attempt to play louder than the next, they must respect and know each other.

Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said have built up a close working relationship that has inspired them to seek alternative paths towards peace, coexistence and mutual understanding through the medium of culture. The West Eastern Divan, a workshop for budding musicians from the Middle East, stands out for its importance and social impact amongst the projects that Barenboim and Said have launched together. Meetings have already been held in Weimar (Germany), Chicago (USA) and last August in Seville (Spain), and in just four years have become a guiding light for peaceful coexistence. The project unites young people through music, setting up orchestras where Palestinian, Israeli, Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian and other musicians all perform together.

Daniel Barenboim is one of the most highly regarded musicians of our times. Born in Buenos Aires in 1942 the son of Russian-born Jewish emigrants, he has had a spectacular musical career as an orchestra conductor and concert pianist. He has been musical director of the Orchestra of Paris, and has worked - to name just two - with the Berlin Philarmonic and Bayreuth Festival Orchestras. He is now musical director of Berlin's Staatoper and of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.