Conductor Alaa Abdel-Salam appointed Cairo Opera House new chairperson

Al-Ahram Weekly

11-03-2025

Egyptian Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno has appointed conductor Alaa Abdel-Salam the new chairperson of the National Cultural Centre (the Cairo Opera House), succeeding Lamia Zayed.
Following his appointment on Sunday, Abdel-Salam released his first official statement on Monday through the Ministry of Culture's media channels.
In his statement, Abdel-Salam confirmed that the Cairo Opera's upcoming phase will involve implementing a series of initiatives to maintain its distinguished status, which was established in 1988.
He emphasized that achieving the social well-being of artists and administrators and encouraging them to exert more effort to continue their contributions are among his priorities.
Furthermore, he stressed that the opera doors are open to all intellectuals and artists without discrimination, positioning it as one of Egypt's key institutions of serious creativity.
The renowned conductor also expressed his pride in all those who represent contemporary voices of soft power, continuing the legacy of the world's oldest civilizations.
Abdel-Salam succeeds Lamia Zayed, who served as the National Cultural Centre (Cairo Opera House) chairperson since February 2024.
Who is Abdel-Salam?
Abdel-Salam graduated with honours from the Faculty of Music Education at Helwan University in 1996, specializing in the cello, and was appointed an assistant lecturer at the same faculty the same year.
He earned his master's degree in 2002 and a PhD in 2007.
Then, he became an associate professor in 2014 and a professor in 2022 at the same faculty.
Additionally, Abdel-Salam has been a visiting professor at the American University in Cairo since 2022.
He has worked with the Cairo Opera House since 1993, when he joined the Youth Orchestra, conducted by Said Awad, as a cellist.
Since 1995, he has performed with numerous orchestras, often in concerts featuring renowned Egyptian and Arab singers.
In 2005, he was promoted to first cellist at the Arab Music Orchestra, one of the music ensembles under the Cairo Opera House's umbrella.
In 2019, Abdel-Salam supervised the production of Sayed Darwish's album of songs, which was released under the auspices of the American University in Cairo to mark the centenary of the 1919 Revolution.
Most recently, Abdel-Salam became the principal conductor and artistic director of the Religious Song Ensemble, Cairo Opera's only religious troupe.
In 2023, he was appointed the principal conductor of the Alexandria Opera Ensemble for Music and Arab Singing.
In early February, Abdel-Salam conducted the Arab Music Orchestra in their performance commemorating the 50th death anniversary of Um Kalthoum at the Paris Philharmonic Hall (Philharmonie de Paris), France.
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