Since 2015, talented young musicians from the Middle East, Northern Africa, and other countries have been studying at the Barenboim-Said Akademie, an institution of higher music education in Berlin founded by Daniel Barenboim. The Akademie’s four-year bachelor program includes a stronger focus on the humanities and musicology than is common in professional music education; a new master program was launched with the beginning of the 2024 summer semester. The Barenboim-Said Akademie’s central idea is expressed in a spirit of inclusion and diversity: through playing and listening, students learn to accept differences, to engage in discussion with an open mind and an open heart, and to discover the humanistic ideals of the Enlightenment. The Akademie, which shares its building with the Pierre Boulez Saal, is dedicated to the pedagogical spirit of Edward W. Said and Daniel Barenboim, which tries to overcome ideological trenches. For the opening of Classical:NEXT, a group of students will come together to perform a classical chamber music work.