Nabil Shehata

Artist photo of Nabil Shehata - Conductor

“Giving space to music” runs like a thread through Nabil Shehata’s life, both literally and figuratively. As a nine-year-old, the double bass opens the door to, in his words, “the most beautiful repertoire there is” – namely that of classical music. As a young person, he feels the growing desire to be involved in this music as a conductor.

Nabil Shehata follows this impulse, gives up his position as principal bass player of the Berlin Philharmonic, and has since successfully embarked on a career as a conductor.

A critic recently wrote that he conducts with “authority full of ease,” an observation that corresponds precisely with what Nabil Shehata is aiming for: “It’s about resonating with each other. This is what creates music. This is what I want to achieve with orchestras.”

Nabil Shehata has developed a conducting style that is closely related to chamber music making because he is convinced that “this is how music is created that can achieve what audiences, orchestras, and conductors alike desire: unforgettable concert experiences!“

Nabil Shehata’s career began as principal bass player with the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic. As a conductor, he has been mentored and taught by Christian Thielemann, Rolf Reuter, and Lawrence Forster, among others. Since 2019, he has been chief conductor of the Philharmonie Südwestfalen and has recently guest conducted, among other ensembles, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Robert Schumann Philharmonic, and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. Not long ago he made his conducting debut with great success at the soldout Elbphilharmonie.

Prior to his current position, he was chief conductor at the Munich Chamber Opera, and broadened his experience at the Berlin State Opera as an assistant to Daniel Barenboim. As a professor of double bass in Munich and Berlin as well as a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, he has passed on his experience to younger musicians for many years. In his hometown of Verden, Nabil Shehata founded the Maiklänge chamber music festival, where he pursues a project close to his heart in organizing high-quality concerts there.

On the GENUIN CD Works for Double Bass and Piano by Brahms, Bruch, Glière and Kusevitsky Nabil Shehata plays double bass.

Photo: Robert Stewart


The artist's homepage:

linkhttp://nabilshehata.com

CDs released by GENUIN

with Nabil Shehata

CD album cover 'Orchesterwerke von Antonín Dvorák' (GEN 24853) with Philharmonie Südwestfalen, Nabil Shehata

Orchesterwerke von Antonín Dvorák

Doppel-CD mit Orchesterwerken von Dvorák (2 CDs)

Philharmonie Südwestfalen
Nabil Shehata Conductor

GEN 24853  –  1.3.2024

CD album cover 'Die Weihe des Hauses' (GEN 23848) with Philharmonie Südwestfalen, Nabil Shehata

Die Weihe des Hauses

Werke von Ludwig van Beethoven, Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski und Andres Reukauf

Philharmonie Südwestfalen
Nabil Shehata Conductor

GEN 23848  –  6.10.2023

CD album cover 'Werke für Kontrabass und Klavier' (GEN 17448) with Nabil Shehata, Karim Shehata

Werke für Kontrabass und Klavier

von Brahms, Bruch, Glière und Kussewizki

Nabil Shehata Conductor
Karim Shehata Piano

GEN 17448  –  9.1.2017