Elena Cheah and Mariam Said on the inspirational Arab/Israeli orchestra
On Friday evening one of the world’s most unusual orchestras will take to the stage at the BBC Proms. The ‘West Eastern Divan’ was founded a decade ago by the Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian intellectual Edward Said. It’s made up of Jews and Muslims; Arabs and Israelis. Each year they come together to play music and to debate the ongoing conflicts of the Middle East. Jenni is joined in the studio by Elena Cheah, who has written a book to celebrate its tenth anniversary and Mariam Said, who now helps to run the orchestra.
