I have heard Ori Kam on several occasions over the last few years and have always been deeply impressed with his playing. He possesses a rare combination of musical talent, technical facility, intelligence, and charisma, and he is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary young artists I have heard in recent years.

In times of totalitarian or autocratic rule, music (indeed culture in general) is often the only avenue of independent thought. It is the only way people can meet as equals, and exchange ideas. Culture then becomes primarily the voice of the oppressed and it takes over from politics as a driving force for change.

There are many types of silence. There is a silence before the note, there is a silence at the end and there is a silence in the middle.

I have the greatest respect for the survivors of the Holocaust. We can't even imagine what these people went through.

An Israeli who thinks that his government is doing everything right wouldn't join the Divan Orchestra in the first place.

You can't expect someone born into a family with no music...to understand when I'm conducting the Schönberg Variations.

Now the first step has to be taken, the step towards democracy. This step is full of risks, and requires trust on all sides. We don't know where it will lead. But if we just stand still, we will have no chance of escaping the violence.