Musicians don’t come much more Israeli than Daniel Barenboim. The pianist and conductor grew up in Tel Aviv, and has retained his citizenship even as his career took him around the world. “With such bona-fide Israeli credentials, you would hardly have expected Barenboim to become one of its government’s most conspicuous critics. Yet, like Menuhin before him, Barenboim’s questing mind ensures that his own considered opinions transcend mere political correctness… In 1999 he formed, against all odds, an orchestra made up by an equal number of young Arab and Israeli musicians… to demonstrate that, through music, it is possible for people from warring factions to co-exist peacefully. After six years of hard work, it is proving an overwhelming success, and that fact alone should convince politicians of the importance of music in education.”