The majority of student life at the Barenboim-Said Akademie is devoted to practice and performance, both on an individual basis in a private setting with instrumental instructors, and in a group setting for chamber music. Our music curriculum includes a broad-based education in classical music, with a comprehensive education of music history and theory from antiquity to the present day, alongside ear-training units and advanced elective courses in music performance, music education, musicology, and music composition. Group performances are guided by Daniel Barenboim, and students enjoy exclusive access to Berlin Staatsoper rehearsals and select performances.

Complementing the study of music, the Barenboim-Said Akademie offers its students a humanities curriculum, reflecting its founders’ commitment to educating musicians to become well-rounded artists and engaged participants in various spheres of human endeavor. All students are required to take the classes of our humanities program, which comprise about one-fourth of their study-time, and are designed to foster intellectual curiosity, critical reflection, and persuasive written and oral expression. The humanities program rests on three foundational pillars: the study of philosophy, history and literature. Following two years of classes dedicated to these fields, the program progresses to other areas of knowledge and styles of inquiry, and culminates in an individually-framed and researched written thesis. Classes in the humanities are designed as a coherent whole, and in substantive coordination with the music curriculum. In addition, the humanities program offers language classes, to secure proficiency in English and working knowledge of German.

Barenboim/Said Akademie