Armed with a bow and strings, Peabody student Netanel Draiblate combats wars to foster world peace.
For the past six years, he has played violin for the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a collection of musicians between the ages of 14 and 25 from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia and Israel who rise above centuries of Israeli-Arab conflicts to create music together.
“It?s not a political statement, it?s a human statement that we can talk to people,” said Draiblate, a native of Bat-Yan, Israel, about five miles outside Tel Aviv.
“With music, we are trying to build a bridge over disagreements.”
But orchestrating unity through song hasn?t always been easy for the young musicians.
Traveling to a concert last year in Ramallah, Palestine, proved tense.
The Israelis flew from Tel Aviv to Palestine, but the Syrians and Lebanese were not allowed to fly into Israel and had to travel through Jordan instead.
Tensions mounted on the border for admission into the country, but everyone eventually made it to the concert and devoted their energies into playing their hearts out.
Peabody Director Jeffrey Sharkey believes the musicians have the ability to serve as role models for their countries? leaders.
“People of different backgrounds are able to communicate on a profound level through music, through eating hummus and seeing the neighborhood, but leadership in countries cannot yet,” Sharkey told Peabody students during a recent welcome-back speech.
Daniel Barenboim, a co-founder of the orchestra, views the ensemble?s participants as pioneers.
“Every member of this orchestra, regardless of their origin, shows a remarkable amount of courage, understanding and vision by coming,” Barenboim wrote on the orchestra?s Web site. “Our project may not change the world, but it is a step forward.”
