From 1992 to 2023, Daniel Barenboim was General Music Director of the State Opera Photo: Parvets
By Sebastian Bauer
The world-famous pianist and conductor will be the 132nd celebrity to receive the award from Berlin.
The pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim (80) becomes an honorary citizen of the city of Berlin. The celebratory event is scheduled to take place on April 21, 2023 in the Rotes Rathaus.
The world-famous Argentinian-Israeli musician became general music director and artistic director for life of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in 1992. He resigned as general music director last January for health reasons. According to the Senate Chancellery, Barenboim is “a central artistic personality of our time”. “He has been living and working in Berlin for 30 years and enriches the cultural life of the city with his work.”
The honorary citizenship of our city has been awarded to a total of 131 people since 1813. Honorary citizens of Berlin who are still alive include Wolf Biermann, Margot Friedländer and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.