BERLIN - On stage, the musicians of the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin still play in perfect harmony. But inside, they are reeling.
The recent escalation of fighting between Israel and Hamas poses the greatest existential challenge yet for the music academy, founded to build bridges between young Israeli and Arab musicians.
"The situation has always been complex, but this is the biggest test since the academy was created in 2016," Michael Barenboim, a violinist and dean of the school, told AFP.
The current contingent of 80 students includes 17 Israelis and six Palestinians as well as young musicians from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
- 'Our hearts are heavy' -
"Emotionally, it's extremely complicated for them" in a context where "everyone knows someone who knows someone" directly affected by the conflict, said Michael Barenboim.
A recent concert in Berlin gave the academy's students the opportunity to express their emotions.
Before the lights went down, flyers containing a message from the students were distributed to the audience.
"Our hearts are heavy; our minds are elsewhere with every single person affected by the devastating situation in Palestine and Israel," the message read.
"It is very difficult for many of us to be playing a concert right now. But even in this darkest hour, we will still follow in the footsteps of our founders, Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said," it said.
"May our music bring us together, may it heal a little piece of our hearts. At the end of the day, all we can do is hope for peace, freedom, and the safety of everyone."
A minute's silence was held before the auditorium was filled with the sounds of music by Prokofiev, Beethoven and Wagner.