Israeli violist Tal Riva Theodorou prepares for a rehearsal of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the Pierre Boulez Hall at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin on November 9, 2026. "Our message of peace must be stronger than ever": under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra defies the divisions in the Middle East, having brought Israelis and Palestinians together for the past 25 years. With the first festival dedicated to the orchestrawhich begins on November 11, 2026 in Berlinthe maestro, who co-founded the ensemble alongside the American-Palestinian intellectual Edward Said (19352003), tells AFP that he hopes to "reach an even wider audience." (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)