Nabil Shehata was appointed Dean of the Barenboim-Said Akademie in September 2026 and has been artistic director of the Akademie’s orchestra since 2024. Born into a German-Egyptian family, he began his musical education as a double bass player at the University of Music in Würzburg and Berlin’s Hanns Eisler School of Music. He was awarded first prizes at several international competitions, including the ARD Music Competition in Munich, where he also received the audience award. After performing as principal double bass with the Staatskapelle Berlin from 2003 to 2004, 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 2007, studying with Rolf Reuter, Lawrence Foster, and Christian Thielemann, and has since led major orchestras, including the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie Chemnitz, the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. He served as music director of the Munich Chamber Opera, subsequently holding the same position with the Philharmonie Südwestfalen from 2019 to 2024. Nabil Shehata has been closely associated with the Barenboim-Said Akademie since 2019 as professor of double bass. He also led the Filasteen Young Musicians Orchestra at the Pierre Boulez Saal in 2023