Friday 14 February 2025 6pm
Odeon Theatre, Nipaluna / Hobart
Joseph Tawadros curator & oud
performer, with James Tawadros
on percussion, Emma McGrath
on violin and TSO Strings.
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra acknowledges the traditional owners and continuing custodians of Lutruwita / Tasmania. We pay respect to the Aboriginal community today, and to its Elders past and present. We recognise a history of truth, which acknowledges the impacts of colonisation upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and stand for a future that profoundly respects their stories, culture, language and history.
About the concert
Works
Tawadros Oud Improvisation (3 mins)
Tawadros Dreaming Hermit (3 mins)
Tawadros Give or Take (2 mins)
Tawadros Kindred Spirits (8 mins)
Tawadros Permission to Evaporate (7 mins)
Tawadros Eye of the Beholder (5 mins)
Tawadros Point of Departure (7 mins)
Tawadros Bluegrass Nikriz (7 mins)
Joseph Tawadros.
Uncover the stories behind the works.
Oud Improvisation
By Joseph Tawadros
3 minutes
You guessed it! Joseph weaves improvised melodies with his oud.
Dreaming Hermit
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
3 minutes
Dreaming Hermit is an invitation to let your mind wander and relax. The piece featured on Joseph Tawadros’ 2014 album, Permission to Evaporate. The album showcases Tawadros' innovative blend of traditional Middle Eastern music with contemporary jazz and classical elements. Permission to Evaporate received critical acclaim, winning the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album in 2014.
Give or Take
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
2 minutes
Give or Take, released 2010, is a dynamic composition known for its rapid tempo and intricate interplay between instruments.
From the very start, the piece is like a race—quick, playful, and full of unexpected twists. The notes tumble out like they’re chasing each other, but there's precision beneath the chaos.
Kindred Spirits
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
8 minutes
Kindred Spirits features intricate melodic lines on the oud, supported by the deep, resonant tones of double bass. Once again Middle Eastern rhythms meet with the looseness and freedom of jazz.
Permission to Evaporate
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
7 minutes
Permission to Evaporate evokes a sense of melancholy intertwined with hope and healing. The oud leads with expressive melodies, while the strings provide a rich harmonic backdrop, creating a contemplative and emotive atmosphere.
Eye of the Beholder
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
5 minutes
Eye of the Beholder was first featured on Joseph Tawadros’ 2014 album. Permission to Evaporate and later performed live with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House in 2019.This piece blends different worlds into one sound - part Middle Eastern, part classical, part cinematic.
Point of Departure
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
7 minutes
This is piece holds deep personal significance for the Tawadros brothers, it was composed in 2014 following the passing of their mother in 2012 and their father in 2013. Listen for the sense of longing in the music, giving way to acceptance and peace.
Bluegrass Nikriz
Composed by Joseph Tawadros
7 minutes
This piece is a unique fusion of bluegrass — a genre rooted in American folk and country music — and the Middle Eastern Nikriz scale, showcasing Tawadros' innovative approach to blending diverse musical traditions. It sounds quick and bouncy, and oud has a plucked and twangy feel, like a banjo.
Musicians
Joseph Tawadros
Guest curator & oud performer
b. Cairo, Egypt. 1983
Joseph Tawadros AM is a world-leading oud virtuoso, composer, and eight-time ARIA award winner. Born in Cairo, he has redefined the oud’s role in contemporary music, blending Middle Eastern, jazz, and classical influences. His performances are known for virtuosity, storytelling, and joyous energy, captivating audiences in concert halls worldwide.
Joseph’s drive to push musical boundaries has led to collaborations across genres. He performs solo, in duo with his brother James on Egyptian percussion, with his jazz quartet, or alongside chamber and symphony orchestras globally. His music has been performed by major ensembles, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Brodsky Quartet, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, where his Concerto for Oud & Orchestra was recorded by ABC Classics in 2019. He remains the only Australian composer featured by the Academy of Ancient Music in the UK.
A prolific recording artist, Joseph has worked with jazz greats such as John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette, Christian McBride, Mike Stern, and Bela Fleck, as well as classical luminaries like Richard Tognetti, William Barton, and Andreas Scholl. His oud can also be heard in film and TV, including Ali’s Wedding, The Water Diviner, and House of Cards.
In 2023, Joseph performed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, premiered The Three Stages of Hindsight with Britten Sinfonia, and completed a 25-hour oud marathon for charity. 2024 has seen him tour America with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, debut in Canada with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and perform at the Olympic Stadium before 15,000 people.
Awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2016, Joseph continues to expand the oud’s reach, bridging musical traditions with innovation and passion.
James Tawadros
Percussionist
b. Sydney, Australia. 1989
“If genius is partly exceeding all likelihood of a given potential, then James Tawadros was flirting with genius as he played the riq’, a small tambourine. He extracted an array of sounds, textures and rhythms to shame most kit-drummers.”
- SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
James is a world class percussionist and soloist. His main instrument is the Riqq; a small hand-held tambourine, traditionally with skin covering and five pairs of cymbals. A autodidactic child prodigy, James’ unique innovative style and mastery of this ancient instrument that has brought him great acclaim worldwide, making his Australian Chamber orchestra debut at just 15 years of age. His dexterity, rhythmic variety and virtuosity continue to amaze audiences and He has performed internationally with many celebrated artists and regularly accompanies his brother Joseph in concert.
Some of his career highlights as soloist include orchestral tours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Camerata Salzburg, as well as a duet recording collaboration with legend jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette (of Miles Davis fame) for the album The Hour of Separation. He has performed with greats such as Béla Fleck, John Abercrombie, John Patitucci, Howard Johnson, Richard Bona, Joey DeFrancesco, Roy Ayers, Christian McBride and Mike Stern to name a few. Alongside his brother Joseph, he has picked up 5 ARIA Awards for Best World Music Album in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020 and 2022.
In 2017, James made his premiere with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms and most recently performing with the Morphing Chamber Orchestra at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. James holds a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering from University of Technology in Sydney.
Emma McGrath
Violinist
British-American-Australian violinist Emma McGrath is the Concertmaster of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She enjoys an international and varied career as a Concertmaster, soloist, chamber musician, conductor, teacher, educator, and mentor.
Emma has appeared as a Guest Concertmaster/Leader with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australia Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. She has performed as a soloist all over Europe, Asia, Australia, and the USA.
Highlights include Max Richter’s ‘Recomposed’ to sold-out audiences as part of the Dark Mofo Festival, and concerti and solos by Britten, Mozart, Bruch, Saint-Saens, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, Vaughan Williams and Bottesini with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Emma was a member of the award-winning Panormo Quartet in London, the Starling Quartet in Pittsburgh, and the Kettering Piano Quartet and the Tasmanian String Quartet in Hobart. She has also participated in the Bangalow Music Festival, the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival, and the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs.
Prior to moving to Tasmania, Emma was the Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony, and the Associate Concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony.
She is also a professional singer, baroque violinist, and conductor - and enjoys bushwalking in Tasmania’s wild places in her spare time!
Artists
Emma McGrath Violin & Director
Joseph Tawadros Oud
James Tawadros Percussion
TSO Strings
PRODUCTION
Mark Hayes & Nick van den Enden Lighting
Bob Gardam Sound Engineer
Alethea Coombe Score Caller
Emily Becker Stage Manager
Kayne Johnson & Gavin Wolfe Production
Sophia Mitchell Artist Liaison
Violin
Emma McGrath Concertmaster
Ji Won Kim Associate Concertmaster
Lucy Carrig-Jones Principal Second
Tobias Chisnall Principal First
Miranda Carson
Yue-Hong Cha
Michael Johnston
Elinor Lea
Susanna Low
Christopher Nicholas
Rohana O’Malley
Hayato Simpson
Viola
Caleb Wright Principal
Anna Larsen Roach
Curtis Lau
William Newbery
Cello
Jonathan Békés Principal
Ivan James
Nicholas McManus
Martin Penicka
Double Bass
Stuart Thomson Principal
Matthew McGrath
*Correct at time of publishing
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