On Thursday evening, in the soft glow of Ewart Hall at AUC Tahrir Square, the first notes of Joseph Tawadros’s oud fell like ripples in still water—slow, contemplative, and commanding silence. When the Egyptian Recording Orchestra under Wagdy El Fiwy joined in, the Egyptian–Australian virtuoso’s solo expanded into a vibrant ensemble that brought the 17th Cairo Jazz Festival to life.
Tawadros’ performance—spirited, witty, and lively, set the tone for a week-long celebration of intercultural dialogue through jazz. Moving seamlessly from introspection to exuberance, he wove tradition and contemporary innovation together in sound and spirit.
“The oud is the king of all instruments in the Middle East,” Tawadros told Al Manassa. Born in Shubra and raised in Sydney, he first picked up the oud as a young boy as a way of connecting with his Egyptian roots while living in the diaspora. “I have these two sides to my identity, Australia and Egypt. This is my first time performing at the Cairo Jazz Festival, and to play with an orchestra in my birthplace is fantastic.”
For Tawadros, music transcends borders. “I don’t compose to geography,” he said. “I compose to emotion. I want everyone, regardless of background, to feel something during my performance—to be united through this feeling.” Between compositions, he engaged the audience with humor and jokes in true Egyptian style. “Oud players tend to be very serious,” he chuckled,“I do the opposite. Music is a celebration—it should be inclusive. I want people to laugh together, to celebrate together.”
A highlight of his set was his piece “Constellation,” which unfolded from delicate motifs into a joyous crescendo with a contemporary flair, one he joked “most traditional oud players do not like.” Through playfulness and innovation, Tawadros embodied the very ethos of the Cairo Jazz Festival—creativity as a bridge between cultures.
Before Tawadros took the stage diplomats, and representatives from cultural institutions gathered for a reception—a prelude to an evening devoted to a shared appreciation of jazz. Among them was Australian Ambassador Axel Wabenhorst, attending to support his compatriot.
He described the festival as “a unique opportunity for cultures, nationalities, and sounds to unite.” Though not often, as he put it, “a jazz person,” he praised the festival’s ability to bring together “people from different backgrounds—jazz lovers, musicians, and those new to the world of jazz composition.”
The festival’s long-time partners echoed that sentiment. “EUNIC sponsors many cultural events, but the Cairo Jazz Festival is one of a kind,” said Isabella Bommarito, from the European Union National Institutes for Culture. “It’s the only festival of its scale in the region that focuses solely on jazz and unites so many nationalities and cultures. Music is a universal language, we don’t need to speak the same tongue to understand it.”
“At the Goethe Institut, we aim to exchange German and Egyptian culture, often through language. But music often becomes the language we truly need to connect with one another,” Tabea Knerner from the cultural department at the Goethe-Institut echoed this sentiment to Al Manassa.
Founded in 2009 by jazz pianist, Amro Salah, the festival was conceived as “a space for discussion between cultures through jazz.” Now in its seventeenth edition, it continues to grow as a platform for creative dialogue. “I always think of jazz like a sponge,” Salah told Al Manassa. “It absorbs cultures, it creates music and connections. I don’t see jazz as just a genre—it’s a philosophy, a human experience that crosses boundaries.”
This year’s edition holds particular significance, paying tribute to Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani, who passed away earlier this year. Rahbani first performed at the Cairo Jazz Festival in 2010, during its second edition.
“He left an imprint on jazz—a legacy of passion, truth, and artistic freedom. These are the very values at the heart of jazz itself,” he added.
