92NY presents Australian Chamber Orchestra: The Ottoman Four Seasons

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York’s leading cultural venues, presents Australian Chamber Orchestra: The Ottoman Four Seasons with Richard Tognetti, artistic director and violin; Joseph Tawadros, oud; James Tawadros, riq on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 2pm on the David Geffen Stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall. Tickets start at $40 and are available at https://www.92ny.org/event/australian-chamber-orchestra.

The Australian Chamber Orchestra returns to 92NY to explore Vivaldi’s masterpiece through the lens of the Ottoman Empire. The Venice of Vivaldi’s world was one of the great cosmopolitan centers of its time, absorbing influences from the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. In The Ottoman Four Seasons, the ACO performs Vivaldi’s work in its entirety, joined by oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros and riq master James Tawadros, alongside music of the Ottoman Empire and original works by Joseph Tawadros.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

The Australian Chamber Orchestra lives and breathes music, making waves around the world for its explosive performances and brave interpretations. Steeped in history but always looking to the future, ACO programs embrace celebrated classics alongside new commissions, and adventurous cross-artform collaborations.

Led by Artistic Director Richard Tognetti since 1990, the ACO performs more than 100 concerts each year. Whether performing in Manhattan, New York, or Wollongong, NSW, the ACO is unwavering in its commitment to creating transformative musical experiences.

The Orchestra regularly collaborates with artists and musicians who share its ideology: from Emmanuel Pahud, Steven Isserlis, Dawn Upshaw, Olli Mustonen, Brett Dean and Ivry Gitlis, to Neil Finn, Jonny Greenwood, Barry Humphries and Meow Meow; to visual artists and film makers such as Bill Henson, Shaun Tan, Jon Frank, and Jennifer Peedom, who have co-created unique, hybrid productions for which the ACO has become renowned.

In addition to its national and international touring schedule, the ACO has an active recording program across CD, vinyl and digital formats. Its recordings of Bach’s violin works won three consecutive ARIA Awards. Recent releases include Water | Night Music, the first Australian-produced classical vinyl for two decades, Beethoven 1, 2, & 3 Eroica and ARIA award-winning albums River and Indies & Idols.

In 2023 the ACO launched its digital streaming platform, ACO On Demand, which hosts the Orchestra’s award-winning season of cinematic concert films, ACO StudioCasts, alongside live concert streams and premium on-demand content. https://www.aco.com.au/

Richard Tognetti (director/violin) is Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He has established an international reputation for his compelling performances and artistic individualism.

Tognetti began his studies in his hometown of Wollongong with William Primrose, then with Alice Waten at the Sydney Conservatorium, and Igor Ozim at the Bern Conservatory, where he was awarded the Tschumi Prize as the top graduate soloist in 1989. Later that year he led several performances of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and that November was appointed as the orchestra’s lead violin and, subsequently, Artistic Director.

Tognetti performs on period, modern and electric instruments and his numerous arrangements, compositions and transcriptions have expanded the chamber orchestra repertoire and been performed throughout the world. As director or soloist, Tognetti has appeared with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra, Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), Hong Kong Philharmonic, Camerata Salzburg, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, the Arctic Philharmonic and all the major Australian symphony orchestras. Tognetti also performed the Australian premieres of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and Lutosławski’s Partita. In November 2016, he became the Barbican Centre’s first Artist-in-Residence at Milton Court Concert Hall in London. Tognetti created the Huntington Festival in Mudgee, New South Wales and was Artistic Director of the Festival Maribor in Slovenia from 2008 to 2015.

Tognetti was the co-composer of the score for Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe; he co-composed the soundtrack to Tom Carroll’s surf film Storm Surfers; and created The Red Tree, inspired by Shaun Tan’s book. He also created the documentary film Musica Surfica, as well as The Glide, The Reef, and The Crowd & I. Most recently, Tognetti collaborated with director Jennifer Peedom and Stranger Than Fiction Films to create the films Mountain and River for the ACO, the former of which went on to become the highest-grossing homegrown documentary in Australian cinemas.

His recordings have received accolades around the world, and he is the recipient of six ARIA awards, including three consecutive wins for his recordings of Bach’s violin works.

Tognetti was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010. He holds honorary doctorates from three Australian universities and was made a National Living Treasure in 1999. In 2017 he was awarded the JC Williamson Award for longstanding service to the live performance industry.

Joseph Tawadros AM (oud) is a leading oud virtuoso, composer and 8-time ARIA-award winner. Born in Cairo, his chosen instrument is an Arabic lute, the ancestor of the lute and modern guitar.

A virtuoso of diversity and sensitivity, Tawadros performs in concert halls worldwide and is known for his brilliant technique, deep musicianship, storytelling and joyous style of performance. His drive to push musical boundaries has inspired collaborations with diverse performers and a solid repertoire of innovative, original music.

He performs live as a soloist, in duo with his brother James on Egyptian percussion, with his jazz quartet or with chamber orchestras and symphony orchestras all over the world.

Tawadros has performed his own works with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Western Australian Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Ukraine National Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, and the Morphing Chamber Orchestra. His groundbreaking Concerto for Oud and Orchestra was performed with the Sydney Symphony and recorded and released by ABC Classics in 2019.

Tawadros was the first and only Australian composer whose work was performed by the Academy of Ancient Music in the United Kingdom in 2015.

He has recorded his music with many US jazz luminaries such as John Abercrombie, Jack de Johnette, Roy Ayers, John Patitucci, Bela Fleck, Mike Stern, Joey DeFrancesco, Richard Bona and Christian McBride.

Classical collaborators include Richard Tognetti, William Barton, The Grigoryan Brothers, Christian Lindberg, Gurrumul, and James Crabb, and his songs have been performed and recorded by The Song Company and Andreas Scholl.

His distinctive oud playing can also be heard in films and TV series such as Ali’s Wedding, The Last Days of Yasser Arafat, Paper Giants, I Remember 1948, The Water Diviner, Checkpoint, The Tentmakers of Cairo, All About E, Love Marriage in Kabul, The Portal, Haneen, The Black Balloon, The Transfer, Memory Film: A Filmmaker’s Diary, House of Cards and The Last Ride starring Hugo Weaving.

Tawadros was one of the 50 Australian composers chosen to write a fanfare celebrating the Sydney Opera House’s 50th birthday. He was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for services to music in 2016.

James Tawadros (riq/bendir) is a world-class percussionist and soloist. His main instrument is the riq, a small handheld tambourine, traditionally with skin covering and five pairs of cymbals. An autodidactic child prodigy, Tawadros’ uniquely innovative style, dexterity and mastery of this ancient instrument has brought him great acclaim worldwide.

Tawadros made his debut with the Australian Chamber Orchestra at just 15 years of age. Other career highlights include performing as soloist with Camerata Salzburg and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms, and a duet recording collaboration with legendary jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette for the album The Hour of Separation.

He has performed with artists including Béla Fleck, John Abercrombie, John Patitucci, Howard Johnson, Richard Bona, Joey DeFrancesco, Roy Ayers, Christian McBride and Mike Stern, as well as regularly collaborating with his brother, oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros.

James Tawadros is the recipient of five ARIA Awards for Best World Music Album.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York: The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit http://www.92NY.org.