Lenfest Center for the Arts

The Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture:

Education Through Music: A Legacy of Edward W. Said

Thursday, February 23, 2023

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM 

The Lantern

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Edward W. Said's death. Professor Said was co-founder, with pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the acclaimed orchestra that promotes coexistence and intercultural dialogue by bringing young Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs together to make music. Education Through Music is at the core of the project they initiated. This panel discussion will cover their collaboration, the orchestra and the many projects that have developed since this journey began, including the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, and the Barenboim-Centre for Music in Palestine. 

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 is 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.

Co-presented by The Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities, Department of English and Comparative Literature, the Center for Palestine Studies, and Barenboim-Said Foundation (USA).