Tony Kaldas


Antoine Kaldas, known professionally as Tony Kaldas, is an Egyptian-Greek singer, composer, performer, and healer who has spent his first 25 years in Egypt.
Kaldas expressed his artistic talents since he was 4 years old by imitating actors and actresses after watching any film or a play shown on the television. Due to the restricted life that his parents were not appreciating his artistic expression when he was a child and he had to stop showing his talent for longtime. Once, he reached 16 years old, Kaldas sang one religious song in French and since then the singing career starts to open for him. His incredible talent of blending jazz, classical, pop, and world music was shown through his songs and the concerts he performed by mixing several genres and languages to create predominantly different works.
He studied Classic singing for 6 years in Cairo Opera house aside the studies in Architecture. Due to the many talents, he was called by the press that he is one of the few multi-potentialists in the world who could learn and do several things. Looking at his career, it is full of different learning and works he did. Kaldas studied architecture and he worked for years aside singing as an underground singer and as an Art Director, Graphic Designer, Retoucher and Digital Marketeer; which taught him a lot about other sides of arts combining them with business and practical practices. Kaldas also used his intuition and his healing talent through studying different type of healing practices like Quantum Touch, Chakra Healing, Hypnotherapy and combining them with his knowledge in music and voice. Important to mention, his works as a Voice Over, enriched his experience through singing and acting in the Arabic versions of Disney movies and for commercial advertisements as well.
He received an international recognition from Time for Peace in Brussels in 2012 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 will not study and this will affect his life negatively. After many ways to convince his family, Kaldas failed to stand up for his talent and he blocked it instead for longtime. The self-taught musician continues to use the "musical shorthand" that he developed as a child, rather than employing traditional musical notation.
However, the house was always full of different music playing throughout the day, which Kaldas believed that this was one of the important learning for him, as listening is half of the work and he was lucky to be present among a family that they like listening to different kind of music and songs.
He went to the French school at 1989 College des Freres which it was a great influence on his personality and his taste of expressing that continued with him afterward.
In 2003, Kaldas studied Classical Singing at Cairo Opera House in parallel with his studies in the Architecture university, he always had the example of the singer Asmahan as she was one of the Arabic singers could sing different genres and styles, and she studied classical singing for sometime. His love for Asmahan started at age 9, which everyone was astonished that a child listen to a singer died on 1944, which is 40 years before he was even born.

Music career

In 2000, Kaldas joined the French Christian Choir in Cairo, he displayed a great talent in singing which was a surprise for his parents in the first time they heard him. His father couldn't believe that this was his voice when he listened it on the cassette tape and he had to sing live in front of him as a proof.
His music career started from that time, performing in the biggest venues in Egypt 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 abroad in France for sometime to be able to learn new vocal techniques and start singing in different country.
Kaldas lived in Paris, Lille, then moved to Cambridge and London. His travelling was more about knowing himself more than singing and performing as he intended on the first place.

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..
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.