Joseph Tawadros

Tawadros' 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 was School Captain at Randwick Boys High School, where he was taught by Derek Williams.^[6] Tawadros is classically trained, having completed a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of New South Wales, where he was awarded a Freedman Fellowship for Classical Music, and in 2025, an honorary doctorate.^[4] His brother James Tawadros, also educated at RBHS, is a musician who regularly plays percussion, notably the riq, with Joseph.^[7][8]

In the 2000s, Tawadros also studied in Egypt with violin player Esawi Dagher, son of the renowned violin player Abdo Dagher.^[9] During the years that followed, Tawadros 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, Tawadros won Best World Music Album for Concerto of the Greater Sea (February 2012).^[10] 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).

Joseph Tawadros' style is described as "eclectic".^[11] 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] Tawadros told Map Magazine, "I don't like to play in a particular genre, I love all sorts of music […] I try to record an album a year and one that's totally different from the previous album."^[12] He has collaborated with musicians such as John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Ayers, Bela Fleck, Joey DeFrancesco, Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra,^[13] 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]

• Copts in Australia
• List of oud players