Barenboim-Said Akademie

Akademie Forum returns in the 2025 Summer Semester.

The first talk and discussion, titled "Is it too early to think of peace?", will welcome Prof. Dr. Omri Boehm and Dr. Rula Hardal, who argue that it is not only possible but necessary and urgent to rethink solutions beyond the narrow two-state/one-state dichotomy. Together, they will examine the political, legal, and historical challenges confronting (con-)federative thinking today.

🎹 Featuring a musical performance by Master of Music student Mohammed Al Sheikh (piano) & a discussion moderated by Roni Mann, Professor of Philosophy at the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

📆 Mon, April 7, 2025, at 6:00 PM
🎫 Presented in English. Free admission, registration required: barenboimsaid.de/en/event/558001

🤝 Supported by ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius

Chamber music workshops at the Barenboim-Said for Music in Ramallah

This week, young Palestinian musicians are diving into chamber music thanks to the initiative of the Barenboim-Said Center for Music in Ramallah, which offers the opportunity to hone their ensemble skills, shape their musical voice, and connect with other young musicians.

🔔 Join the team! The Akademie is looking for a Student Assistant for the Chamber Music Program (35–40 hours/month).

From organising rehearsals to keeping everything on track behind the scenes, this role is all about making chamber music happen. You’ll work closely with students, faculty, and coaches—and get a real look at how it all comes together.

🗓️ Application deadline is very soon: March 25, 2025. We look forward to your application!
👉 More details: https://www.barenboimsaid.de/de/akademie/jobs

8 years of music in the round! Since its opening on March 4, 2017, the Pierre Boulez Saal has hosted hundreds of concerts - welcoming artists from all over the world and giving our students a stage to present themselves to Berlin audiences. Here’s to many more years of music for the thinking ear! 🎶✨

📸 Orchestra of the Barenboim-Said Akademie led by Nabil Shehata. January 2025
Photo credit: Peter Adamik

More impressions from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra rehearsals with Zubin Mehta in the Akademie and Pierre Boulez Saal. Many students and alumni are joining the orchestra's 2025 spring tour!

Music and meaning 🎶 Last week, the Deutscher Hospiz- und PalliativVerband held their New Year’s reception. Our Rector, Prof. Rapp, delivered the keynote speech, while the Trio Maroush with our students Katia, Itamar, and Izak framed the evening with musical performances. Thank you for inviting us!

Last Tuesday, we hosted the last Akademie Forum of the Winter Semester 2024/25 with our panelists Prof. Dr. Stefanie Schüler-Springorum, Dr. Stefanie Fischer and Dr. Kim Wünschmann, who launched their Graphic History Oberbrechen: A German Village Confronts Its N**i Past. Prof. Jacob Eder moderated the event and BSA student Ali Hayyan performed Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3.

Looking back at another successful series of talks, discussions, presentations and meetings, we thank our wonderful guests and audience, our professors of Humanities at the Barenboim-Said Akademie who curated the program and our partner ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius and Fulbright Germany for their support.

We look forward to the next Akademie Forum events in the upcoming summer semester!

Akademie Forum: History in Comics

How does a small village confront its past? Next Tuesday the Akademie Forum will host the presentation 'Oberbrechen: A German Village Confronts Its N**i Past', a new graphic history book that explores the complex relationships between Jewish and non-Jewish inhabitants during the Third Reich—and how these histories of violence shaped encounters after 1945. Authors Stefanie Fischer and Kim Wünschmann will discuss the subject with Stefanie Schüler-Springorum and Jacob Eder.

🎹 Featuring a musical performance by Akademie student Ali Hayyan (piano)

📆 Tue, January 28, 2025 at 6:00 pm
🎫 Presented in German. Free admission, registration required: https://www.barenboimsaid.de/en/event/akademie-forum-515431

🤝 Supported by ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius

Nabil Shehata takes over the artistic direction of the Barenboim-Said Akademie Orchestra from January 2025 👏

💬 Daniel Barenboim: "I am very happy and grateful that Nabil Shehata has agreed to take on this wonderful task. I have known and appreciated him for very long and have had an intensive musical friendship with him for many years. He is the perfect person for this important role at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. His musicality and pedagogical skills are exceptional and I am sure that he will fulfil this task with great success."

💬 Regula Rapp, Rector of the Barenboim-Said Akademie: "I am looking forward to further developing the Academy's orchestra with Prof Shehata; it is the field in which our students learn most intensively to listen to each other and make musical progress."

Born into a German-Egyptian family, Nabil Shehata began his musical education as a double bass player, winning awards at several international competitions, including the ARD Music Competition in Munich. After performing as principal double bass with the Staatskapelle Berlin from 2003 to 2004, he held the same position with the Berliner Philharmoniker until 2008. He served as principal double bass with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra for more than ten years. Encouraged by Daniel Barenboim, among others, he began his career as a conductor in 2006, which has since led him to major orchestras, including the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Munich Radio Orchestra, and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. After leading the Munich Chamber Opera as music director for several years, he held the same position with the Philharmonie Südwestfalen from 2019 to 2024. Nabil Shehata has been closely associated with the Barenboim-Said Akademie as professor of double bass since 2019.

📸 Peter Adamik

In 2025 we are continuing the Akademie Forum series with a reading of “Paradigm Poetry: The Capricious German Gaze on Arabic Literatures” by Stefan Weidner. 🎹 Featuring a musical performance by Serena Fantini (cello) & discussion moderated by Kai Wiegandt, Professor of Literature at the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

📆 Tue, January 21, 2025 at 6:00 pm
🎫 Presented in German. Admission free, registration required: https://www.barenboimsaid.de/en/event/akademie-forum-515430

🤝 Supported by ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius

A fantastic first concert of the year! 👏 Congratulations to the Barenboim-Said Akademie Orchestra and Nabil Shehata on last night’s performance of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter.” Thank you to all the students and audience members who made it such a special night!

📸 Photo credit: Peter Adamik

On January 14, a group of students from the Akademie visited the German Bundestag in Berlin, exploring the history and workings of the German Parliament. A highlight of the visit was the chance to meet and have a conversation with Claudia Roth, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Thank you for an engaging and insightful day.

Mark your calendars: the second Personal Note concert is on January 19! 🎶

After a successful first concert in the series curated by the students of the Akademie featuring an inspiring program around the theme of “Homeland”, the next concert will take “Dialogue” as its guiding motif. The program will include works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Dvořák, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Kreisler and Ravel.

➡️ Find all program details & tickets: https://www.barenboimsaid.de/en/event/personal-note-529909

🤝 Supported by the Supported by the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung

These are the final days to submit your application for the 2025–26 academic year!

Don’t miss the deadline on January 9—our admissions portal is open for the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Preparatory Program, and Artist Diploma in all instruments and composition.

We look forward to receiving your application!

📲 For all the details: barenboimsaid.de/admissions

Best wishes for 2025!