Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou (Gəʿəz á …áŒŒ ማáˆá‹«áˆ
ገብሩ, born Yewubdar Gebru, December 12, 1923) is an Ethiopian nun
known for her piano playing and compositions.Guèbrou was born as
Yewubdar Gebru in Addis Ababa, on December 12, 1923, to a wealthy
family. At the age of six she was sent to a boarding school in
Switzerland, where she studied violin. In 1933 she returned to
Ethiopia. During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War she and her family
were prisoners of war and were sent by the Italians to the prison camp
on the Italian island of Asinara and later to Mercogliano, near
Naples. After the war Guèbrou studied under the Polish violinist
Alexander Kontorowicz in Cairo. Kontorowicz and Guèbrou returned to
Ethiopia where Kontorowicz was appointed as musical director of the
band of the Imperial Body Guard. Guèbrou was employed as an
administrative assistant.Her first record was released in 1967. The
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation has been set up to help children
in need both in Africa and in the Washington, D.C. metro area to study
music. In April 2017 Guèbrou was the subject of a BBC Radio 4
documentary, introduced by Kate Molleson, entitled The Honky Tonk
Nun.A compilation of Guèbrou's work was issued on the Éthiopiques
record label. She also appeared on The Rough Guide to the Music of
Ethiopia, andThe Rough Guide to African Lullabies. Her music has been
described as melodic blues piano with rhythmically complex phrasing.
For three decades she lived a reclusive life with only rare
performances including one at the Jewish Community Center in
Washington, D.C. on July 12, 2008.
ገብሩ, born Yewubdar Gebru, December 12, 1923) is an Ethiopian nun
known for her piano playing and compositions.Guèbrou was born as
Yewubdar Gebru in Addis Ababa, on December 12, 1923, to a wealthy
family. At the age of six she was sent to a boarding school in
Switzerland, where she studied violin. In 1933 she returned to
Ethiopia. During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War she and her family
were prisoners of war and were sent by the Italians to the prison camp
on the Italian island of Asinara and later to Mercogliano, near
Naples. After the war Guèbrou studied under the Polish violinist
Alexander Kontorowicz in Cairo. Kontorowicz and Guèbrou returned to
Ethiopia where Kontorowicz was appointed as musical director of the
band of the Imperial Body Guard. Guèbrou was employed as an
administrative assistant.Her first record was released in 1967. The
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation has been set up to help children
in need both in Africa and in the Washington, D.C. metro area to study
music. In April 2017 Guèbrou was the subject of a BBC Radio 4
documentary, introduced by Kate Molleson, entitled The Honky Tonk
Nun.A compilation of Guèbrou's work was issued on the Éthiopiques
record label. She also appeared on The Rough Guide to the Music of
Ethiopia, andThe Rough Guide to African Lullabies. Her music has been
described as melodic blues piano with rhythmically complex phrasing.
For three decades she lived a reclusive life with only rare
performances including one at the Jewish Community Center in
Washington, D.C. on July 12, 2008.
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