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Antoine Kaldas (Arabic: طوني قلدس; born January 20, 1984), known professionally as Tony Kaldas, is an Egyptian-Greek singer, composer, performer, and healer who had spent his first 25 years in Egypt.

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Tony Kaldas طونى قلدس
Background information
Birth name	Antoine Kaldas
Born	(1984-01-20) January 20, 1984 (age 38)
Genres	Pop music Jazz Oriental Classic Chanson
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, actor, composer, art director
Instrument(s)	Vocal ukulele
Years active	2007–present
Website	www.tonykaldas.com

Kaldas has expressed his artistic talents since he was 4 years old by imitating actors and actresses after watching films and plays shown on the television. He had a restricted childhood and his parents did not appreciate his budding talents. Upon reaching sixteen, Kaldas sang a religious French song that launched his musical career. He displayed his incredible talents by blending several genres, notably jazz, classical, pop, and world music, and languages through his songs and concerts to create predominantly different works.

He studied classic singing for 6 years at the Cairo Opera House while also studying architecture. Due to his many talents, he was called by the press as one of the few multi-potentialists in the world who could learn and do several things at once. Kaldas studied architecture and worked for years as an underground singer, as well as an art director, graphic designer, retoucher and digital marketeer; this taught him to combine the arts with more practical business concepts. He also worked as a voice actor for Arabic versions of Disney movies and commercial advertisements. Kaldas also used his intuition and healing proficiency to study different types of healing practices, such as quantum touch, chakra healing, and hypnotherapy, and combined them with his knowledge of music and voice.

He received an international recognition from Time for Peace in Brussels in 2012 for representing the Middle East in an Arabic song, written by the latest Gibran Khalil Gibran, composed and performed by Kaldas himself.

Early life

Kaldas was born January 1984 in Cairo, Egypt, the son of an Egyptian father and a Greek mother. He displayed musical talent at a young age, performing musicals at the age of 4. His parents were resistant as they were afraid that he would not commit to his studies and that this would negatively affect his life. Kaldas was unable to convince his family otherwise and was thus unable to pursue his musical interests for years to come. The self-taught musician continues to use a "musical shorthand" that he developed as a child, rather than employing traditional musical notation.

However, the house was full of different music throughout the day, which Kaldas believed to be an important influence for him; he was lucky to be present among a family that enjoyed listening to different kinds of music.

He went to a French school in 1989, College des Freres, which had a great influence on his personality and expression that continued with him afterward.

In 2003, Kaldas studied Classical Singing at Cairo Opera House along with his studies at the Architecture university. He was greatly inspired by the singer Asmahan as she was an Arabic singer that could sing in different genres and styles and studied classical music for sometime. His love for Asmahan began when he was 9 years old, much to everyone's astonishment as the singer died in 1944, 40 years before he was even born.

Music career

In 2000, Kaldas joined the French Christian Choir in Cairo, where he displayed a great talent in singing to his parents' surprise. His father couldn't believe that this was his son's voice when he listened to it on a cassette tape and he had to sing in front of him as a proof.

His music career quickly ballooned, and he began performing in the biggest venues in Egypt and then around the world.

2012: Living Abroad

After his nomination for the Peace Prize in Brussels in January 2012, and his performance in Paris afterward, he decided to live in France for some time to be able to learn new vocal techniques and start singing in different countries.

Kaldas lived in Paris, Lille, and then moved to Cambridge and then London. Through his travels, instead of learning more about singing and performance techniques, he learned more about himself.

Influences, music and concerts

Musical Influences

From childhood, Kaldas accepted a wide variety of musical styles, listening to radio stations from Northern Africa, Arab countries, and Europe. His music has been said to reflect his encounters with cultures around the world.

The mixture in his family was translated through the choice of songs chosen by his family, as he was raised listening to Classical singing, Arabic, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish and English songs, along with the classical music. This mixture was expressed later through his talent and voice by always mixing different genres together and being one of the first musicians and singers in the Middle East creating fusion on stage.

Kaldas claims to have had a perfect pitch since childhood.

Concerts

Kaldas sang cover versions of songs sung by the Arabic Super-stars :Fairuz, Abdel Halim Hafez, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Umm Kulthum, Nour el Hoda etc... and from the Worldwide he used to sing for Charles Aznavour, Édith Piaf, Mireille Mathieu, Frédéric François, Jacques Brel, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, etc..

• In 2005, he sang cover versions of Umm Kulthum and Asmahan many songs like: "Raq el habeeb, Gholbt asaleh, Fakarouny, Nawet adary alamy, Emta hataeraf, Layaly el ons, Ya layaly el bishr, etc. He also sang cover versions of the Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi many songs from her big repertoire like: Enta el mady, Matra'ak bi alby, Lawen maey el ayam, Beirut set el donya, Am yesaalouny, etc...)
• In December 2006 he sang a concert of cover versions under the name of (Tony Kaldas sings Charles Aznavour) at Chateau de Ghouri in Egypt.
• Also he sang in some Opera Recitals many Arias from Aria Antiche and Opera Roles Like La Traviata, Tosca, and others.
• in September 2007, he sang in a Common Concert with the soprano Maysa Orensa, a big repertoire containing Arabic, French, Italian, German songs at the Cairo Opera House
• In October 2007, he sang with the Egyptian singer Rania Shaalan in one of her concert in Gomhoreya Theatre – Cairo Opera House
• During 2006–2007, he did 3 religious songs and he wrote and sang a song about the Lebanese superstar Majida El Roumi as a dedication to her voice. The song was called "Negma men negoum el sama"[1]
• 2008 was a year of success at the Jubilee 125 years of the Lebanese poet, painter and writer Khalil Gibran.
• On June 27, in The Opera House – Gomhoureya Theatre.[2][3][4]
• On July 16 in Bibliotheca Alexandrina – Open Air Theatre.[5]
• 2008 Performed at Diwan Bookstore a Ramadan Night, a nostalgic night in September which was covered by the Daily News (Egypt)[6]
• 2009 he performed on 2 occasions in Smash Club celebrating the Valentine's Day and Sham el nessim.
• June 2009, commemorating the Lebanese writer Mansour Rahbani in Sawy Culturewheel, covered by OTV, ON TV, ANA TV and Nile Live TV, and media presses Elaph and Radio stations.[7]
• September 2009, he performed a big concert in Cairo Opera House singing for Fairuz, Halim and his own songs from Gibran Khalil Gibran words "You are my brother", "My soul"[8]
• 2011, Kaldas celebrated 70 years on Besame Mucho song with the help of the Mexican Embassy in Cairo for the copyrights and the song renewed with Arabic lyrics and different arrangement mixing Jazz, Latin and Oriental.
• 2011, he released after the Egyptian revolution a song clip from the lyrics of the international Lebanese writer and poet Gibran Khalil Gibran for the religious tolerance and the song is the official work for the Peace day 2011 and showed on 25 channels around the world
• 2012, he was nominated for the Music Peace Prize in Brussels, which he was one among important international performers.
• 2012, Kaldas was chosen to be part of the big music project 'One Prayer' in Oslo, Norway in October, he composed his part and wrote the lyrics on a music already prepared for the performers to perform on it.

Honors, awards and distinctions

Kaldas was honoured in Brussels European Parliament in 2012 and he was nominated for the Music Peace Prize Time for Peace; he was the first Arabic/Greek singer was nominated for this prize.

See also

• Cairo Opera House
• list of Egyptians

References

External links

• Official web site

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