A new IMZ Member: Pierre Boulez Saal

The Pierre Boulez Saal enriches the cultural life of Berlin with about 150 events per season. The classical + romantic repertoire naturally coexists with 20th century classics + contemporary music.

The Pierre Boulez Saal also a home in Europe for music from the Arab and Persian world and a place for improvised music and jazz. Another focus is on lecture concerts, talks, and discussions. Designed by Frank Gehry, the hall has a unique architectural profile, with its elliptical shape inviting audience and artists to become one community—there is no separation here between stage and auditorium. The concert hall provides a space for dialogue in which music can be shared on multiple levels. Many influences—cultural, artistic, humanistic, architectural, and historical—combine to create a place where people should be able to communicate, to listen, and to understand.

The Pierre Boulez Saal is the public face of the Barenboim-Said Akademie. This state-recognized, federally-funded music conservatory was created in the spirit of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, established in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and the late American-Palestinian literary scholar Edward W. Said to bring together as equals young Arab and Israeli musicians. In 2012, Barenboim founded the Barenboim-Said Akademie to train young musicians from the Middle East and Northern Africa. It is a vibrant home for learning and a vital investment in the future of music and our global community.