(Photo: Reda El-Wakil Facebook Page)
El-Wakil succeeds Alaa Abdel Salam - Egyptian conductor, cellist, composer, and academic - who had served as Chairman of the Cairo Opera House (National Cultural Centre) since March 2025.
Born in 1960, El-Wakil is one of Egypt's most accomplished opera singers, with a career spanning decades on both local and international stages.
A graduate of the Higher Institute of Music (Cairo Conservatory), El-Wakil furthered his musical studies in Spain and France.
As a bass soloist with the Cairo Opera Company, he built a reputation on both Egyptian and international stages, performing leading roles in acclaimed operas including Aida, Madame Butterfly, and The Marriage of Figaro, among many others.
While Cairo remained the centre of his career since the 1980s, he also appeared in productions across France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, and several other countries.
Throughout his career, El-Wakil received numerous accolades. In 1994, he won first place in the Plácido Domingo Competition at the Paris Opera, as well as the Grand Prize and the Audience Award at the Toulouse International Singing Competition in France. He received Egypt's State Encouragement Award for Literature and Arts in recognition of his artistic achievements.
Alongside his performing career, El-Wakil assumed several leadership positions within the Cairo Opera House. He supervised the Opera House's Small Theatre from 2009 to 2017 before serving as Head of the Artistic House for Music, Opera, and Ballet, where he oversaw the institution's artistic activities and played a key role in organizing productions and international cultural collaborations.
His contribution to cultural diplomacy has been particularly evident through several projects he helped monitor.
For instance, he has developed strong cultural ties between Egypt and Japan. Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, El-Wakil participated in several memorial concerts and events supporting the country's recovery and reconstruction efforts. He also helped bring Japanese artists to perform in Egypt through his role at the Opera House. In recognition of these efforts, he was honoured by the Japanese Ambassador to Egypt in 2024 for strengthening cultural ties between the two countries.
His appointment comes as the Cairo Opera House - founded in 1988 as the National Cultural Centre - continues to serve as Egypt's premier venue for opera, ballet, classical music, and cultural events. The institution is home to the Cairo Opera Company, Cairo Opera Orchestra, Cairo Symphony Orchestra, Cairo Opera Ballet Company, National Arab Music Ensemble, Heritage Arab Music Ensemble, and several other resident ensembles, with El-Wakil now leading its next chapter.
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