Home / About Us
Rageh Daoud was born in Cairo and raised in a culturally enriched family environment. His father, Sami Daoud, a prominent figure in literature and journalism, had a deep interest in the arts and encouraged all his children to explore various artistic fields. This artistic influence led Daoud to pursue formal music education at the Conservatoire of the Academy of Arts, where he began studying piano. His talent for composition soon emerged, prompting him to specialize in musical composition.
After thirteen consecutive years of intensive study, Daoud graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor’s degree in Musical Composition from the Cairo Conservatoire. The following year, in 1978, he joined the Composition and Conducting Department as a teaching assistant, during which he composed several works for orchestra, piano, and chamber music.
In 1981, Daoud received a scholarship to continue his postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.
In 1988, he earned the Magister Artium and Postgraduate Diploma in Musical Composition—Vienna’s highest academic qualification in the field, equivalent to a doctoral degree in the arts.
Later that year, he returned to Egypt and resumed his academic career at the Conservatoire, where he rose through the ranks until he attained the position of Professor. He currently teaches in the Composition and Conducting Department, in addition to teaching film music at the Higher Institute of Cinema.
Daoud also founded the Electronic Music Composition Unit and the Music Publishing Unit at the Academy of Arts. He prepared the Academy’s first published music book, “Children’s Choir Songs,” based on the vocal works of the late Gamal Abdel Rahim and Dr. Awatef Abdel Karim.
In 1994, he established the Hanager String Orchestra, which he conducted and directed with the aim of introducing young musicians to contemporary Egyptian compositions, as well as reviving works by pioneering Egyptian composers.
In 1997, Daoud received the State Encouragement Award from the Ministry of Culture for his orchestral work “Two Portraits for String Orchestra.” In the same year, he was selected as a jury member for the first edition of the Durante-Bagnoli International Piano Competition “Premio F. Durante.”
Since 1997, Daoud has been invited multiple times to participate in the annual Mediterranean Music Festival in Palermo, Italy (Conferenza Musicale Mediterranea), where several of his works were performed—including his well-known “Passacaglia for Oud, Organ, and String Orchestra.” The festival recorded, printed, and published this work.
In 2001, he joined the jury panel of the Valentino Bucchi International Competition for Contemporary Music in Rome.
In 2002, he was invited again to the Mediterranean Composers Festival in Palermo, where his composition “Dialogue for Violin and Orchestra” was performed.
In 2003, Daoud received the State Award for Excellence in the Arts for his complete body of musical works. That same year, he was appointed Dean of the Higher Institute of Music (Cairo Conservatoire) for the academic year 2003–2004.
In 2004, he represented Egypt at the annual Belgrade Festival, presenting a chamber music concert and delivering a series of lectures on contemporary Egyptian music.
In 2007, he was honored at the Cairo International Film Festival and later appointed Head of the Composition and Conducting Department at the Cairo Conservatoire.
From 2001 to 2011, Daoud served as Rapporteur of the Music, Opera, and Ballet Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, and he played an active role in various national music juries.
In 2014, renowned violinist and composer Gidon Kremer invited Daoud to have his work “Dialogue for Violin and Orchestra” performed with the Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra in several German cities.
At the end of 2017, Daoud was commissioned to compose the new national anthem and presidential anthem of the Republic of Mauritania. He was officially honored by the Mauritanian President and awarded the Order of Merit – Knight Class, the country’s highest artistic and cultural distinction.
In the same year, he was appointed Advisor and General Supervisor of the Arts Center at the Library of Alexandria.
In 2021, Daoud received the State Appreciation Award in the Arts, granted by the Ministry of Culture. He was also reappointed as Rapporteur of the Music, Opera, and Ballet Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture.
