Joseph Tawadros at the University of New South Wales. Photo from limelight-arts.com.au
by: Muriz Z
Joseph Tawadros who can now be called Dr Joseph Tawadros is an Oud master, composer and eight-time ARIA Award-winner has received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of New South Wales on the 2nd of December 2025. During his acceptance speech he shared with the audience his wisdom.
“Know your strengths, find your team and work with happiness.”
“If you feel that you’re not going to do a good job, don’t accept it – or at least do your best, and don’t curse it along the way. If you accept it, then commit wholeheartedly. Know your strengths, find your team and work with happiness.” he advised them.
Beginnings:
All journeys have beginnings and Josephs is no different, his journey began when he emigrated from Egypt to Australia at the age of 3 with his family, from these humble beginnings his love of music was found, although not his first musical instrument which was a trumpet, he became inspired to play the Oud a traditional middle eastern pear-shaped instrument after seeing a biographical drama about the life of Egyptian musician Sayed Darwish. He would go on to learn to play the oud with his family friend and renowned oud player Mohamed Youssef, in Australia and would later continue his studies in both Australia and Egypt.
From this moment onwards he would embark on a journey that would not only transform his own life but the lives of all Egyptians worldwide and from which he would be propelled to global stardom seeing him perform around the world and even back home with symphony orchestras around Australia.
Joseph performed the Oud during his award ceremony. Photo from limelight-arts.com.au
The Wizard of Oud:
Joseph Tawadros is renowned for taking the oud beyond its traditional Middle Eastern setting into classical and jazz realms, he blends different genres like Baroque, 20th-century jazz, blues, and Spanish/Latin American music with Arabic tunes. His musical style fuses Middle Eastern sounds with a diverse range of sounds from many genres and in doing so he transcends traditional boundaries.
The Egyptian Oud:
There are many types of ouds in the world each with its own characteristic look, the sound it produces and the materials from which it was made. The Egyptian oud is famous for having the most romantic sound because of its warm, heavy, and deep timbre. The Egyptian oud is more extensive than other ouds and differs from others as it has a larger pear-shaped appearance and features rich decorations on the body.
Traditional Egyptian Oud. Photo from youtube.com/@NaoSogabe
