Barenboim << BAIR ehn boym >>, Daniel (1942-…), is an Israeli conductor and pianist. As a pianist, he became noted for his performances of music composed by Germany’s Ludwig van Beethoven and Austria’s Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Barenboim has played chamber music with such famous musicians as the Israeli violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.
As a conductor, Barenboim has led such important orchestras as the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. He served as music director of the Orchestre de Paris from 1975 to 1989. From 1991 to 2006, Barenboim was the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1992, he became general music director of the German State Opera in Berlin, a position he held until 2023. Barenboim was appointed principal guest conductor of the La Scala Opera in Milan, Italy, effective in 2007. He served as that company’s music director from 2011 to 2014.
Barenboim has gained particular praise for his performances of operas by the German composer Richard Wagner. In 1999, Barenboim founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which he conducts. The orchestra consists of young Israeli and Arab musicians. He also operates the Barenboim-Said Foundation, which promotes musical interactions among young Arabs and Israelis.
Barenboim was born on Nov. 15, 1942, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He made his piano debut in Buenos Aires at the age of 7. His family moved to Israel in 1952. During the next few years, he studied piano, violin, conducting, and music theory in Europe. In 1956, he graduated from the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome, Italy. A year later, he made his United States debut as a pianist in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Barenboim was married to the British cellist Jacqueline du Pré from 1967 until her death from multiple sclerosis in 1987. He has made many recordings, both as a conductor and as a pianist.
