Riad plays violin (i.e. kaman in Arabic) and his own compositions with influences of classical, jazz, Arabic, and contemporary music. Dr. Abdel-Gawad also interprets the numerous classic pieces by Egyptian legendary accompanist to Oum Kalsoum: Abdo Dagher. The unique new music Sufi traditional instrumental compositions of Abdo Dagher is played by Riad Abdel-Gawad (violin, kaman). Riad Abdel-Gawad, long-time collaborator of Dagher, whose inimitable Sufi new, absolute instrumental music is obligatorily performed in a virtuosic manner and based on compositions transcribed as musical compositions alongside freely improvised passages. Recently, Riad performed at Art Base in Brussels with his Ziryab Duo, with Aykut Dursen, contrabassist. Riad teaches violin as well as singing lessons. He applies the singing method of his master and collaborator Abdo Dagher who was an autodidact and worked in all of the musical fields of Egypt: folk, traditional, religious, classical. Dr. Riad lives in Brussels, Belgium and has established a variety of ensembles: a duo with contrabass, a quartet with nay, oud, percussion, and violin. He is presently choir director at the Community Center of Chant d’Oiseux in Brussels. He also animates music sessions for the Jeunesses Musicales’ Belgian public-school program. He also gave a conference/masterclass last February (2023) at the Royal Brussels Conservatory.
Riad Abdel-Gawad
Studios
Sprague-Smith
Riad Abdel-Gawad worked in the Sprague-Smith studio.
In January of 1976, the original Sprague-Smith Studio — built in 1915–1916 and funded by music students of Mrs. Charles Sprague-Smith of the Veltin School — was destroyed by fire. Redesigned by William Gnade, Sr., a Peterborough builder, the fieldstone structure was rebuilt the same year from the foundation up, reusing the original fieldstone. A few…