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Barenboim signed a new contract July 6 to remain musical director of the city's Staatsoper opera house for another decade.
Barenboim, one of the top names in classical music, has been general music director of the State Opera since 1992. Along with his long relationship with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra as founder and leader, he also conducts the highly regarded Berlin Staatskapelle, an orchestra of musicians from the State Opera, and is the principal guest conductor of Milan's La Scala Opera.
Among an unprecedented list of awards he has accumulated was a recent honorary knighthood from the Queen of England.
