Rageh Samy Daoud (Arabic: راجح داود; b. Cairo, Egypt, November 23, 1954; first name also spelled Ragueh and last name also spelled Dawood) is an Egyptian composer of contemporary classical music. He is a member of that nation's third generation of such composers.
He is also a pianist and music professor (teaching at the Cairo Conservatoire), and has composed score for several Egyptian films. He began his studies at the Cairo Conservatoire at the age of nine, later studying composition there with Gamal Abdel-Rahim, graduating in 1977. He also studied piano at the Conservatoire with E. Puglisi.
He has composed for piano, voice, and orchestra, and has composed a number of film scores.
Daoud is married to Mona Ghoneim (b. 1955), who is also an Egyptian composer. His notable students include Mohamed Saad Basha.
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Rageh Daoud was born in Cairo, November 1954. He began his musical education early, when he joined the Cairo Conservatoire at the age of nine, studying piano. Later he joined the class of Etore Puglisi at the higher stage. While continuing his piano studies with him, he also attended the composition class which the late Carnal Abdel-Rahim had founded in the Conservatoire, where he studied with him composition, the theory of traditional Arab modes and contemporary composition.
In 1977 Rageh Daoud obtained his diploma in musical composition from the Conservatoire with honors.
He was appointed assistant at the Composition Dept. of the Conservatoire since 1978. He wrote several orchestral, chamber compositions and piano works.
In 1981 he got a scholarship to pursue post graduate studies in composition at the Vienna Music Academy, where he studied with Prof. T. Christian David and the British Frances Burt.
In 1987 Rageh Daoud obtained the graduate diploma form the Vienna Academy, and later in 1988 the "Magister Artium' form the Vienna Academy of Music.
At the end of 1988 Rageh Daoud returned to Egypt to resume his teaching career at the Cairo Conservatoire, where he is now Professor at the Dept. of Composition and Conducting.
Rageh Daoud has his active role in the musical life in Egypt and abroad, where works of his were performed in Cairo, Alexandria, Vienna, Italy Germany, Paris, Czech, London, Spain, Canada, Hungary and Poland.
He was awarded several prizes in cinema Festivals especially the National Festival for feature films in Cairo, the Alexandria film festival, the critic's association, etc. for his film music for feature and documentary films. He has also founded and conducted the Chamber Orchestra of the Hanager Center of the Ministry of Culture, to help promoting contemporary Egyptian music.
1997 he got the State Encouragement in musical composition from Ministry of Culture for his Work "Two Portrait for String Orchestra". 1997 the participate the “Concorso Pianistico Internazionale – Premio F. Durante” in Napoli as a jurist.
In 1997 He was also invited by the S.I.M.S. in Secelia to join the “Conferenza Musicale Mediterranea” to play his work “Pasacaglia for lute and Organ and strings in Palermo, Messina and Catania. In 1997 He was also invited by the “ Marschner Festival Hinterzarten “ to play and conduct some of his works.
Since 2001, he is the Chairman of the Committee for Music, Opera, and Ballet in the Supreme Council of Culture.