Co-founded by Edward W. Said and Daniel Barenboim, the acclaimed West-Eastern Divan Orchestra promotes coexistence and intercultural dialogue by bringing young Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs together to make music.

In honor of the twentieth anniversary of Edward W. Said's death, Education Through Music is an evening panel celebrating Professor Said and pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim’s collaboration, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and the many projects that have developed since this journey began.

Panelists include Mariam C. Said, Vice President of the Barenboim-Said Foundation (USA); Michael Barenboim, Dean of the Barenboim-Said Akademie; and musicians Miriam Manasherov and Samir Obaido. The panel will be moderated by Professor Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies.

The Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture is given in honor of the public intellectual and literary critic, Edward W. Said, who taught in the English & Comparative Literature Department at Columbia from 1963 until 2003. University Professor Said was perhaps best known for his books Orientalism, published in 1978, and Culture and Imperialism, published in 1993, both of which made major contributions to the field of cultural and postcolonial studies. The Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture, organized by the Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities, pays tribute to University Professor Said by bringing to Columbia speakers who embody his beliefs and the legacy of his work.