Girma Yifrashewa points proudly to the towering building under construction, his eyes lighting up. “This is where my grand piano belongs,” he says.
He has climbed the stairs of this 14-storey structure countless times, feeling seemingly inexhaustible as he envisions the concert hall taking shape on the 13th floor. The building, being built by the National Archive and Library Agency, sits at the heart of the city near Ethiopia’s financial district.
The grand piano – a gift from Sweden worth USD 200,000 – will soon have a majestic home in that 500-seat concert hall with sweeping views of the city.
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“It is a dream come true,” Girma says. “I have been searching for just such a place where I can perform anytime and train the next generation of musicians.”
Girma was born with music in his soul. As a young boy in Addis Ababa, he discovered his talent by plucking the strings of the Kirar harp.
At 16, his piano studies began at the Yared School of Music. He then continued at the prestigious Sofia State Conservatory in Bulgaria, though he lost his scholarship after three years when communism fell in 1989.
Stranded in Italy, Girma’s spirit and talent were nourished by Caritas. The Christian Brothers discovered him and made it possible for him to return to Sofia Conservatory.
“That was a turning point for me, either make or break moment for my piano carrer,” Girma told The Reporter.
There, under Professor Atanas Kurtev, Girma graduated with a Masters in Piano, performing works by legendary composers across Bulgaria.
Girma has a deep affection for the compositions of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, which he interprets with feeling and nuance. After returning to Ethiopia in 1995, he taught piano at Yared School until 2001 and launched his professional performing career with his first solo concert at the Italian institute in Addis Ababa.
Since then, Girma has enchanted audiences across continents with his passionate playing. He has released seven albums, the latest titled “Love & Peace”.
The Shepherd with the Flute stands as Girma’s magnum opus, a musical masterpiece that embodies all he hopes to accomplish through his piano playing – transporting listeners to another realm and touching their souls with sublime melodies.
Though Girma’s music touches the souls of many Ethiopians, regular large performances have been difficult due to the challenge of transporting his instrument. The pandemic, and his inability to get a space where he can put his piano forced him offstage in 2020.
Now in 2023, Girma hopes a grand piano hall under construction will provide him a place “to perform anytime and train the next generation”. He knows the hall will become “a home for my piano and my music, where I can share my passion.” “That,” says Girma, “is my dream.”
The piano, that most soulful of instruments, is rarely seen or heard in Ethiopia’s concert halls.
Though the piano is still rarely seen in Ethiopia, Ethiopian pianists have a unique and captivating voice when they sit at the keyboard – one that blends centuries of Ethiopian music with the classical traditions of Europe. Their playing breathes new life into the instrument, infusing it with the rhythms and sensibilities of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has given birth to pianists who have captivated the world with their unique melodies and rhythms.
One such pianist was EmahoyTsegué-Maryam guèbrou, a nun whose bluesy piano playing and rhythmically complex phrasing enthralled listeners for decades. Sadly, Emahoy passed away earlier this year at age 99.
Girma is another Ethiopian pianist who has enchanted audiences with his debut performances. Waltz time – so prominent in Ethiopian music – clearly influenced Girma, who counts Chopin as a major inspiration.
During one memorable concert, Girma performed pieces by Chopin and Schumann with a tender touch and light rhythmic style that beautifully complemented his more emphatic playing.
Girma finds inspiration in the world around him.
After watching Wubetin Filega – an Ethiopian theatrical performance that captivated audiences for a decade – striking melodies began swirling in Girma’s mind.
He contacted Getenet Enyew, the author of the play’s poems, with an unusual request: “Give me the poem and I will turn it into a piano composition.”
Getenet kindly agreed and soon after, Girma’s lyrical piano piece based on the stirring theatrical work came to life. “The performance stirred something within me,” Girma recalls. “I could envision the emotions and drama as a piano score.”
As Girma reflects on his journey, his mind turns to the future and the new concert hall taking shape high above the city.
He envisions a team administering his grand plans for the space. “I will carpet the area around the stage and expand it slightly,” he says.
Girma sees the stage expansion and carpeting as the first steps in transforming the bare hall into a piano paradise.
In his mind’s eye, he envisions the luxuriousness of thick carpet underfoot, muffling sounds and creating a hushed sanctuary for the piano’s melodies to soar.
He imagines widening the stage just enough to give his treasured grand piano – an instrument with royal lineage – the dignified space and spotlight it deserves.
The upgrades won’t stop there. “I also need a sound system for live recordings,” he notes.
But Girma’s vision extends beyond himself. He wants the hall to nurture the next generation of Ethiopian pianists.
In Girma’s mind’s eye, he sees the hall filling with the melodies of piano students, their music spiraling up through the floors and spilling out into the city below. This, he knows, would make his dream complete.
“We’ll create practice rooms near the hall with pianos,” he says dreamily, “so aspiring musicians can learn and build their skills.”
Yet his dream would only be completed when Girma first dances his fingers across the keyboard in the transformed hall, imagining that the audience is transported – heads tilting back, eyes closing as the music fills them – convinced, if only for a moment, that they have never left the piano’s enchanted kingdom.
