Renowned Conductor Daniel Barenboim Reveals He Has Parkinson’s Disease

Daniel Barenboim leads musicians and singers in a free, open-air performance at Bebelplatz square in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 30, 2017. Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Famed Argentine Israeli conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has announced that he has Parkinson’s disease.

Barenboim, 82, shared the update in an Instagram post on Feb. 6, following years of speculation about his health.

“I know that many people have been concerned about my health. I have been very touched by the support I have received over the last three years,” he penned.

“I would like to share today that I have Parkinson’s Disease.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, the movement disorder targets the body’s central nervous system, causing a variety of symptoms, including tremors and shaking, rigid muscles, poor posture and balance, speech and writing changes, and loss of automatic reflexes, such as blinking or smiling.

There is currently no known cure for Parkinson’s disease. However, treatments may help manage symptoms.

Concerns about Barenboim’s condition began in early 2022 after the classical music luminary canceled several concerts, including a new production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Berlin, Germany.

In October of that year, Barenboim revealed on social media that he was stepping back from his conducting engagements and other performances after being diagnosed with a “serious neurological condition.”

“My health has deteriorated over the last months,” he wrote on social media platform X, then known as Twitter.

“I must now focus on my physical well-being as much as possible.

“Music has always been and continues to be an essential and lasting part of my life. I have lived all my life in and through music, and I will continue to do so as long as my health allows me to.

“Looking back and ahead, I am not only content but deeply fulfilled.”

‘New Reality’

Born in 1942 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Jewish Russian immigrant parents, Barenboim began taking piano lessons when he was just 3 years old, according to his official biography.

His family relocated to Israel in 1950. Seven years later, at age 14, Barenboim made his piano debut at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.

The Grammy-winning maestro went on to make his conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969.

In 1988, Barenboim married his wife, Russian-born pianist Elena Bashkirova. The couple share two sons: music producer David Arthur, 41, known by the moniker KD-Supier, and violinist Michael, 40.

Barenboim was previously married to Jacqueline du Pré, whom he wed in 1967. The British cellist died in 1987 at the age of 42 after a battle with multiple sclerosis.

Maestro Daniel Barenboim conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during the New Year's Concert in Vienna, Austria, on Jan. 1, 2014. Dieter Nagl/AFP via Getty Images

Barenboim served as the chief conductor of the Orchestre de Paris from 1975 to 1989, then led the Chicago Symphony as music director from 1991 to 2006. He also took on the role of general musical director at Berlin State Opera in 1992.

In 1999, Barenboim and Palestinian American literary scholar Edward Said co-founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble that “brings together young musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other Arab and North-African countries,” according to the orchestra’s official website.

In 2011, Barenboim became the musical director for Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, a position he held for three years.

After more than three decades with the Berlin State Opera, Barenboim announced in January 2023 that he was resigning from his role as music director.

In a statement issued by the opera house, the conductor said his health had “deteriorated significantly in the past year.”

“I can no longer deliver the performance that is rightly demanded of a general music director,” he said.

Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim poses during an interview in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 14, 2023. Luca Bruno/AP Photo

In his Feb. 6 Instagram update, Barenboim said he planned to maintain as many professional commitments as his health allowed moving forward.

“As ever, I consider the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra my most important responsibility. It is essential for me to ensure the orchestra’s long-term stability and development,” Barenboim wrote.

“I will continue to conduct the Divan whenever my health allows me to. At the same time, I will take an active role in ensuring that the Divan has the opportunity of working with excellent conductors going forward.

“I have been navigating this new reality of mine and my focus is on receiving the best available care. I thank everyone for their kindness and well-wishes.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.