Daniel Barenboim
A maestro who wields music as a weapon for peace, co-founding an orchestra of Arab and Israeli musicians against a backdrop of discord.
Born 1942 (age 84)·Argentine-born pianist and conductor·Birthday: November 15·The Silent Generation
Biography
Daniel Barenboim's life is a map of twentieth-century upheaval, traced through the universal language of music. A child prodigy pianist born in Buenos Aires to Russian-Jewish parents, he gave his first concert at seven. His family moved to Israel, and his career exploded—a celebrated pianist who then mastered the conductor's baton, leading the Chicago Symphony and the Berlin State Opera for decades. But Barenboim refused to be confined to the concert hall. With the Palestinian intellectual Edward Said, he founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 1999, a daring experiment that brought young Arab and Israeli musicians to share a stand. Based in Seville, the orchestra became his most potent symbol: proof that dialogue is possible through disciplined, collaborative art. He holds Spanish, Israeli, and Palestinian citizenships, a personal testament to his belief in a world beyond borders.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Daniel was born in 1942, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Daniel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1942
#1 Movie
Bambi
Best Picture
Mrs. Miniver
Daniel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1942Born
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1947Started school
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1955Became a teenager
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Could drive
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1960Could vote
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Turned 21
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1972Turned 30
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 40
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 50
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 60
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 70
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 80
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 84 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin for over three decades.
- Co-founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Edward Said, uniting young musicians from across the Middle East.
- Authored several books on music and society, including 'Everything is Connected' and 'Music Quickens Time.'
Did You Know?
He made his conducting debut at age ten with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic while substituting for an ill conductor.
He is married to the Russian-born pianist Elena Bashkirova.
He was the first conductor to perform the complete Wagner operas in Israel, breaking a long-standing informal taboo.
““The power of music lies in its ability to speak to all aspects of the human being—the animal, the emotional, the intellectual, and the spiritual.””
