Joseph Tawadros
Joseph Tawadros | |
|---|---|
 Tawadros at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards, Sydney, 26 November 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 6 October 1983 |
| Origin | Cairo, Egypt |
| Genres | Jazz, world, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Oud |
| Years active | 1995—present |
| Website | josephtawadros.com |
Joseph Tawadros AM (born 6 October 1983) is an Egyptian-born Coptic Australian multi-instrumentalist and oud virtuoso.[1] Tawadros has won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album four times: 2012, 2013, 2014,[2] and 2020.[3]
Biography[]
His family emigrated from Egypt to Australia when he was three.[4] Initially attracted to the trumpet, he decided to learn the oud when he was eight, after seeing a movie about Egyptian musician Sayed Darwish.[5] He is classically trained, having completed a bachelor of music at the University of New South Wales, where he was awarded a Freedman Fellowship for Classical Music.[4] In the 2000s, he also studied in Egypt with violin player Esawi Dagher, son of the legendary violin player Abdo Dagher. During the years that followed, he spent three months a year in Egypt and learned to play other instruments: the bamboo flute nay, the Arabic zither qanun and the cello.[5]
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2012, he won Best World Music Album for Concerto of the Greater Sea (February 2012).[6] He won the same category in 2013 for Chameleons of the White Shadow (February 2013), 2014 for Permission to Evaporate (May 2014) and 2020 for Live at the Sydney Opera House (June 2020). He also won Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album in 2017 for Ali's Wedding (September 2017).
Style[]
Joseph Tawadros' style is described as eclectic. According to Sydney Morning Herald, "he has taken the oud out of its traditional Middle Eastern setting and into the realm of classical music and jazz".[4] "I don't like to play in a particular genre, I love all sorts of music", Tawadros explains, "I try to record an album a year and one that's totally different from the previous album".[7] He has collaborated with musicians such as John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Ayers, Bela Fleck, Joey DeFrancesco, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and The Academy of Ancient Music.
Tawadros plays 52 instruments on his albums including oud, qanun, saz, violin, ney, Portuguese guitar, electric bass, kalimba and accordion. His brother James uses 11 percussion instruments.[8]
Discography[]
Albums[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Storyteller |
|
| Rouhani (With Bobby Singh) |
|
| Visions (With James Tawadros) |
|
| Epiphany (With James Tawadros and Ben Rodgers) |
|
| Angel (With James Tawadros and Dimitri Vouros) |
|
| The Prophet |
|
| The Hour of Separation |
|
| Band of Brothers (with Slava & Leonard Grigoryan and James Tawadros) |
|
| Concerto of The Greater Sea |
|
| Chameleons of the White Shadow |
|
| Permission to Evaporate |
|
| Truth Seekers Lovers and Warriors |
|
| World Music |
|
| Live at Abbey Road (with James Tawadros) |
|
| Ali's Wedding (soundtrack) (with Nigel Westlake, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Slava Grigoryan and Lior) |
|
| The Bluebird, the Mystic and the Fool |
|
| Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower |
|
| Live at the Sydney Opera House[9] (with James Tawadros, Benjamin Northey and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) |
|
Awards[]
AIR Awards[]
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR Awards of 2014 | Permission to Evaporate | Best Independent Jazz Album Album | Nominated | [10] |
| AIR Awards of 2018 | Live at Abbey Road | Best Independent Jazz Album Album | Nominated | [11] |
| AIR Awards of 2020 | Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower | Best Independent Classical Album | Nominated | [12] |
| AIR Awards of 2021 | Live at the Sydney Opera House (with James Tawadros, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Benjamin Northley) |
Best Independent Classical Album or EP | Won | [13][14] |
ARIA Music Awards[]
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Tawadros has won five awards from seventeen nominations.[15][16]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Storyteller | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2006 | Visions (with James Tawadros) | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2007 | Epiphany | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2008 | Angel | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2010 | The Prophet | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| The Hours of Separation | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Band of Brothers (with Slava & Leonard Grigoryan & James Tawadros) | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2012 | Concerto of the Greater Sea | Best World Music Album | Won |
| 2013 | Chameleons of the White Shadow | Best World Music Album | Won |
| 2014 | Permission to Evaporate | Best World Music Album | Won |
| 2015 | Truth Seekers, Lovers and Warriors | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2016 | World Music | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2017 | Live at Abbey Road | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| Ali's Wedding (with Nigel Westlake, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Slava Grigoryan & Lior) | Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album | Won | |
| 2018 | The Bluebird, The Mystic and the Fool | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2019 | Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower | Best World Music Album | Nominated |
| 2020[17] | Live at the Sydney Opera House | Best World Music Album | Won |
See also[]
- Copts in Australia
- List of oud players
References[]
- ^ Creagh, Sunanda (1 November 2006). "Joseph Tawadros – Gig Reviews". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ^ "Joseph Tawadros, ARIA Music Awards". www.ariaawards.com.au. ARIA Music Awards.
- ^ "And the 2020 ARIA Award Goes To..."
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Creagh, Sunanda (27 October 2012). "From ancient strings, a new mood for the oud". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Long journey from Redfern to a world of musical riches for Joseph Tawadros". The Australian. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ Creagh, Sunanda (28 March 2013). "Oud player keeps good company". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "The Dreamers. Joseph Tawadros". mapmagazine. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ Shand, John (15 April 2016). "Joseph Tawadros review : Only eight instruments? he's not trying hard enough". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ "Live at the Sydney Opera House". Apple Music. June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2002.
- ^ "CARLTON DRY AIR AWARDS 2014 NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". speaker tv. September 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "2018 AIR Awards Nominees". 17 April 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "2020 AIR Awards Nominees". scenestr. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Details confirmed for 2021 AIR Awards as nominees announced". The Music. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "2021 AIR Awards Winners". Scenstr.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Awards Search Results – Joseph Tawadros". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "And the 2020 ARIA Awards Go To…". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Awards 2020 Nominees". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 13 October 2020.
External links[]
- 1983 births
- ARIA Award winners
- Living people
- Oud players
- Australian classical musicians
- Australian people of Coptic descent
- Australian people of Egyptian descent
- Coptic musicians
- Egyptian emigrants to Australia
- Musicians from Cairo
- Members of the Order of Australia