Nabil Shehata has just taken over the artistic direction of the Barenboim-Said Akademie Orchestra. He’s a former principal bass in the Berlin Philharmonic.
Barenboim said: ‘I am very happy and grateful that Nabil Shehata has agreed to take on this wonderful task. I have known and appreciated him for very long and have had an intensive musical friendship with him for many years. He is the perfect person for this important role at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. His musicality and pedagogical skills are exceptional and I am sure that he will fulfil this task with great success.’
Born into a German-Egyptian family, Nabil Shehata began his musical education as a double bass player, winning awards at the ARD Music Competition in Munich. After a season as principal double bass with the Staatskapelle Berlin in 2003-4, he held the same position with the Berliner Philharmoniker until 2008. He served as principal double bass with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra for more than ten years. Encouraged by Daniel Barenboim, among others, he began his career as a conductor in 2006, which has since led him to major orchestras, including the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Munich Radio Orchestra, and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. After leading the Munich Chamber Opera as music director for several years, he held the same position with the Philharmonie Südwestfalen from 2019 to 2024. Nabil Shehata has been closely associated with the Barenboim-Said Akademie as professor of double bass since 2019.
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