Barenboim-Said music academy rocked by Mideast conflict

On stage, the musicians of the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin still play in perfect harmony. But inside, they are reeling. The recent escalation of fighting between Israel and Hamas poses the greatest existential challenge yet for the music academy, founded to build bridges between young Israeli and Arab musicians.

"The situation has always been complex, but this is the biggest test since the academy was created in 2016," Michael Barenboim, a violinist and dean of the school, told AFP.

The Barenboim-Said Akademie was born out of a long partnership between Barenboim's father, the Israeli-Argentine pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, and the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, who died in 2003. Students at the school receive a broad musical education but also attend classes in philosophy, history and literature in English.

Tuition and accommodation are free for the first two years and competition is tough, with only one in three or four applicants granted a place, depending on their instrument.

The current contingent of 80 students includes 17 Israelis and six Palestinians as well as young musicians from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Türkiye.

"Emotionally, it's extremely complicated for them" in a context where "everyone knows someone who knows someone" directly affected by the conflict, said Michael Barenboim, 38.

A recent concert in Berlin gave the academy's students the opportunity to express their emotions. Before the lights went down, flyers containing a message from the students were distributed to the audience.

"Our hearts are heavy; our minds are elsewhere with every single person affected by the devastating situation in Palestine and Israel," the message read.

"It is very...