The piano as a music type or genre has a relatively long history in Ethiopia. If we take the first Ethiopian female pianist, Emahoy Tsegue-Mariam Gebrou, as a point of reference, we realize that she ...

For a reasonable length of time, the world's musical professionals, ranging from players to composers, are putting their utmost effort into convincing the world that the derivation of today's modern ...

Hailu Mergia was once the keyboardist for Walias Band, whose 1977 recording “Muziqawi Silt” is a defining piece of Ethiopia’s musical history. Walias broke up in the early ’80s after a trip to the U.S ...

Biruktawit Tasew’s fingers glide over the strings of the begena, producing a deep, hypnotic sound. Along with six fellow musicians, she breaks into a solemn religious melody, holding their audience ...

The compositions of Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guebrù who was in near seclusion for nearly 30 years have been discovered by an Israeli pianist, who describes them as a "strange combination of classical, ...

Open up the book on Ethiopian music and Hailu Mergia should be right there on page one. The keyboardist, army accordionist and synth pioneer spent three decades carving out a national reputation both ...

When most folks think of Ethiopian music they hear the slithering soul-funk sounds created by artists like Mahmoud Ahmed or Tilahun Gessesse—killer singers who delivered Amharic-language jams with ...

Left: Ayalew Mesfin [Photo by Hannah Brooks]. Right: Hailu Mergia [Photo courtesy of the artist] For many people outside of the Habesha community, their first experience with Ethiopian music came from ...