It is committed to challenging traditional perceptions of the “Orient” and provides the participating artists with time and space, in which they can realize their projects.
Past conductors of the orchestra were Nader Mashayekhi (Iran) and Kinan Azmeh (Syria).
A further integral part of the festival is the annual exchange of students from the Music and Art School in Osnabrück and the Barenboim-Said Conservatory in Nazareth.
The participating students each spend a week in the host country and rehearse a programme, which is then performed at the end of the festival.
Long-term patrons of the event are the Stiftung Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony Foundation), the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung (Foundation of the Lower Saxony Savings Banks), the Sparkasse Osnabrück, Musikland Niedersachsen, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, NDR Musikförderung (NDR Music Patronage), the Landschaftsverband Osnabrücker Land (Regional Authority for the Rural District of Osnabrück), Sievert AG and Hinrichs Licht und Druck.