Amr Okba

Amr Okba, an Egyptian-Austrian composer, was born in 1972. His journey into the world of music began with piano and music theory lessons at the Institute of Arabic Music and the Faculty of Music Education.
In 1993, Amr earned a Bachelor's degree in Management and Business Administration in Egypt. His passion for music led him to the Cairo Conservatoire, where he pursued excellence in the Department of Composition and Conducting. In 1998, Amr received his Bachelor's degree in Composition and was honored with the Rome Prize-State Prize for Artistic Creation (Composition). This prestigious award facilitated an exceptional year and a half in Italy, where he immersed himself in the rich tapestry of European culture under the guidance of Professor Mauro Burtolotti.
In 2003, Amr embarked on a new chapter through the Egyptian-Austrian Cultural Exchange Programme (ÖAD), securing a scholarship that would propel his musical career forward. In Austria, he delved into Composition at both the "Universität Mozarteum Salzburg" and the "Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien." He was mentored by Reinhard Febel (Composition) and Dieter Kaufmann (Electronic and Experimental Composition).
In 2006, Amr achieved a significant milestone by premiering his inaugural opera, "The Book of Going Forth by Day," commissioned by "Musik der Jahrhunderte" for the ISCM opening concert in Stuttgart. This momentous event catapulted him into the international spotlight, marking the beginning of a prolific career filled with engagements, projects, commissions, and performances at renowned festivals and institutions such as the "Salzburg Biennale - 2009," "Ars Electronica Festival – 2012," "Bregenzer Festspiele," and "Salzburger Festspiele - 2014," among others.
Throughout his journey, Amr's contributions to music have been acknowledged with prestigious awards, including the Austrian State Stipend for Composition (2008), the Salzburg Annual Stipend for Music (2009), and a second Austrian State Stipend for Composition in 2016.
Amr's compositions have graced the repertoire of esteemed orchestras and ensembles, including the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (Conducted by Lukas Vis at the ISCM Festival 2006), the Mozarteum University Orchestra (Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies), the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, the Bruckner Orchester-Linz (Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies at Ars Electronica 2012), the Wiener Collage Ensemble, the OENM Ensemble (Conducted by Johannes Kalitzke and Arturo Tamayo), the Composer Ensemble, the London Sinfonietta (Conducted by Diego Masson at Queen Elizabeth Hall), the Ensemble Resonanz, and the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, among others.
Furthermore, Amr's musical compositions have been broadcasted across European radio stations, including SWR (Germany), ORF/Ö1 (Austria), Radio Clásica (Spain), Radio Denmark, and more.
In 2011, Amr was granted Austrian citizenship, further deepening his connection to the musical traditions of his adopted homeland. Since 2023, his compositions have been published by Universal Edition publisher, solidifying his place in the global musical landscape.