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The Music Council of Australia and Freedman Foundation announced Joseph Tawadros as the winner of the 2006 MCA/Freedman Fellowship for Classical Music. Joseph graduated in April with an Honors in Music from UNSW.
Joseph, an oud player from Sydney, was born in Cairo in 1983. Immigrating to Australia in 1986 he brought with him a musical tradition inherited from his grandfather, a composer and oud and violin virtuoso. Joseph has studied with Mohamed Youssef, a renowned oud player and jazz pianist and has performed at major opera houses around the world with a diverse range of artists. In March 2004 he was invited by the Egyptian Minister of Culture to tour Cairo and Alexandria, the first cultural exchange between the Australian and Egyptian governments.
Joseph was nominated for Young Australian of The Year in 2003 and 2004. In November 2005 he was invited by the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris to perform there with his percussionist brother, James Tawadros; the first Australians to do so.
Joseph has recently completed a successful 11 concert national tour with James and the Australian Chamber Orchestra who performed seven of Joseph’s compositions, led by artistic director, Richard Tognetti. Joseph has also composed for film, and has released three CDs.
This year’s judges are Roland Peelman, Artistic Director of the Song Company, arts administrator Aimee Paret, and Goetz Richter, Associate Professor and the Chair of Strings at the Sydney Conservatorium. Of their decision, the judges said, ‘All the finalists were extremely convincing both artistically and professionally. Joseph Tawadros is a musician who defies categorisation. He has shown himself, both as an emerging musician and as a composer to be visionary with tremendous musical and technical capacity. His desire to further the development of the oud within the boundaries of Western Classical music is admirable and exciting. He feels strongly that the oud lends itself to be engaged with Western classical music and is passionately committed to pursuing this route. We believe he can.’
The prize money for the Fellowship, now in its sixth year, is $20,000. The award comprises $15,000 cash, promotional materials worth $5,000, and consultations to assist with non-musical aspects of career-building, as well as active support from Music Council personnel during the Fellowship period.
Established in 1998 by Laurence and Kathy Freedman, The Freedman Foundation also supports visual artists, Australian youth projects, and scientific and medical research. For further information, please call Debbie McInnes on (02) 9550 9207 OR email debbie@dmcpr.com.au
Website: http://www.mca.org.au/
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Last Updated: February 26, 2008