Two withdrawals and a resignation: discord at the Arab Music Festival
Ahead of the 34th Arab Music Festival and Conference, behind-the-scenes tensions at the Egyptian Opera House erupted into an open crisis. The fallout began when several artists withdrew over fee disputes and budget constraints, before expanding to criticism of how negotiations were handled and claims of interference in artistic programming.
The turmoil culminated when Opera House Chairman Reda El-Wakil announced his resignation, just hours after holding a press conference to unveil the details of the upcoming festival.
The Opera House had announced that the festival, dedicated to the memory of artist Hany Shaker, would take place from Oct. 20 to 30. It includes 22 concerts featuring about 70 Egyptian and Arab artists, alongside the accompanying scientific conference. However, the announced program has since changed following several artist withdrawals.
Artist Mohamed Sarwat was among the first to announce his withdrawal, despite being on the bill for the festival’s opening night program dedicated to Hany Shaker. Sarwat did not disclose the details of the financial negotiations, but he said he would not accept participating in what he described as an “insult to Egyptian art or Egyptian artists,” without specifying the nature of the insult.
Opera singer Mai Farouk announced her support for Sarwat’s position, but she was not slated to perform in the new edition in the first place, according to press reports.
Singer and musician Ali El-Haggar then announced his withdrawal for the first time since the festival’s launch in 1992, explaining that the budget allocated for his backing band was unbefitting of him or his musicians. He did not disclose the figure he requested in exchange for his participation, nor did the Opera House announce the value of the financial offer it presented to him.
Festival director Mohamed El-Mougy said El-Haggar was not excluded and was among the artists he wanted on the lineup, but negotiations broke down over financial compensation and his band’s requirements. He added that budget constraints prevented the festival from matching the singer’s pay from the previous edition.
Lower budget and higher wages
In September, Cairo 24 reported, citing unnamed sources, that the festival’s budget had been reduced to 10 million Egyptian pounds (about $200,000), compared to the previous edition. However, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on the same day from an official source that the budget had not been finally approved, and its final figure had not been set.
In contrast, the figures from previous editions show the scale of the pressures facing the festival’s management. In the 33rd edition in 2025, the total budget for operating and organizing the concerts reached nearly 26 million pounds (about $500,000), compared to nearly 37 million pounds (about $710,000) from ticket revenues, according to data published at the time.
Tunisian singer Saber Rebai’s fee reached about $70,000, while composer and pianist Omar Khairat and his band received nearly 1.5 million pounds (about $29,000), and Mohamed Sarwat received nearly 350,000 pounds (about $6,700).
The cost of the concerts is not limited to the singer’s fee, but also includes the band, lighting, stage, workers, and equipment. This explains part of the difficulty in negotiating with artists in light of limited resources.
During the press conference, Reda El-Wakil spoke about the limited resources and said that several artists agreed to accept lower fees than in previous editions. He noted that Omar Khairat agreed to half his fee, while Amal Maher and Assi El Hallani waived payment entirely.
However, these statements sparked a wider debate about the fairness of fee disparities. Medhat El-Adl, a member of the festival’s supreme committee, told Al Manassa that every artist has the right to accept or reject the financial offer, and an artist waiving their fee does not oblige others to do the same. He also criticized airing the details of the negotiations in public.
He noted that the festival’s concerts are sold out and that the Opera House’s ticket prices generate revenues. He affirmed that the matter ultimately relates to the artist’s rights and that the issue is also subject to the rule of supply and demand.
Maestro Hany Farahat also criticized the Opera House president’s remarks regarding the festival’s budget constraints, calling the public handling of financial matters at the press conference unbefitting the event’s stature.
More than arguments over money
However, statements by festival director Mohamed El-Mougy reveal that the crisis was not only financial. In an interview with Ahram Gate, El-Mougy said that interference in the festival’s artistic vision and program was a significant challenge he faced, and that some choices he proposed were not implemented in the way he saw fit.
He said he bears full responsibility for the program before the public, even when some decisions were not his direct choices.
He explained that he wanted the participation of Jannat, Tamer Ashour, Ramy Sabry, and Bahaa Sultan, but the negotiations did not reach an agreement due to the difference between the requested fees and the available budget.
He also said that Amal Maher was not among his first choices and that the inclusion of her name came through another path within the institution, affirming that this was not a personal stance toward her.
Tensions escalated following the press conference, culminating in Reda El-Wakil stepping down as head of the Opera House roughly 15 hours later. According to his published statement, El-Wakil resigned over continued interference in his artistic programming.