Joseph Tawadros

Renowned globally as a leading exponent of the oud, Joseph Tawadros distinguishes himself through extensive work with musicians spanning classical, jazz, and pop fields. Born in Cairo in 1983, he relocated with his family to Australia at age three, yet preserved links to the eastern Mediterranean by serving on prize juries for oud competitions in Damascus, Syria, and Istanbul, Turkey. Initially drawn to the trumpet, Tawadros switched course at eight after viewing a film on Egyptian popular singer Sayed Darwish and chose instead to pursue a more characteristically Egyptian instrument. He completed a bachelor’s degree in music at the University of New South Wales and, during visits to Egypt, studied violin in an Arabic style under Esawi Dagher along with the nay bamboo flute, the qanun zither, the cello, and the oud itself. Tawadros also composes and has supplied scores for four films, among them the 2017 hit Ali’s Wedding. He has performed across four continents, usually in tandem with artists from outside his own tradition. Those partners encompass classical groups such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music in London—the sole Australian composer of any genre whose music has been presented there—and the Sydney Symphony; jazz figures including Jack DeJohnette, Roy Ayers, and Joey DeFrancesco; and the pop domain’s eclectic banjoist Bela Fleck. He has frequently appeared and recorded alongside his brother, percussionist James Tawadros. Critical praise has greeted Tawadros’s recordings, which commenced in 2004 with the solo oud release Storyteller. At Australia’s ARIA Music Awards he received the Best World Music Album prize in 2012 for Concerto of the Greater Sea, in 2013 for Chameleons of the White Shadow, and in 2014 for Permission to Evaporate. On the 2016 album World Music he performed on no fewer than 52 distinct instruments while his brother contributed eleven additional ones. In 2019 Tawadros issued Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower, which incorporated electric guitar, violin, trombone, and piano, and the following year he featured on countertenor Andreas Scholl’s Twilight People album, playing his own composition Beauty is Life. Although Tawadros resides in London, he has maintained a steady schedule of performances in Australia.