This is the story of an internationally acclaimed classical pianist from Africa whose career was made possible by the timely intervention of the Irish Christian Brothers in Rome. It is such stuff as films are made of.

Pianist and composer Girma Yifrashewa, then, is as unique in his homeland as he is in the United States: a man who has studied the European piano repertoire and has applied its devices to Ethiopian traditional music. At the club, he showcased both traditions in one of this year’s most mesmerizing concerts.

Released in the summer on Unseen Worlds, Love & Peace is a breathtaking collection of solo piano pieces by composer Girma Yifrashewa, born in Addis Ababa and the first Ethiopian classical pianist to widely perform across the African continent. His haunting melodic works here recall Erik Satie, Keith Jarrett and Claude Debussy, but filtered through the Ethiopian pentatonic scale. Tipping its hat towards the worlds of both jazz and classical music simultaneously, Yifrashewa's study of the krar (a six-stringed Ethiopian lyre) really comes to the fore, coaxing subtle yet intricate melodies and harmonic contrasts from the piano, juxtaposed with a strong polyrhythmic delivery. Easily one of the year's most engrossing classical/ambient works, Love & Peace is also one of the rare classical/instrumental albums that ably satiates both the casual listener and the hard-nosed academic, being both melodically rich and structurally complex.

Girma Yifrashewa, "Sememen"

What if Chopin had vacationed in Addis Ababa? In this alluring piano music, poetic filigree meets spirited Ethiopian sounds.

– Tom Huizenga

Concert review and pictures from the Love & Peace release concert in Bethesda, MD.

Published 9 August 2014

A thoroughly engaging set of five solo piano settings ... Adding to the recording's appeal, each of the pieces conveys a satisfying sense of completeness, and to his credit, Yifrashewa consistently opts for emotional directness over opaque remoteness. Ultimately, though, the major selling point for his music is its melodic dimension, with the five compositions exuding a musicality and lyricism that render Love and Peace all the more appealing. 

From Chopin to Ethiopia, and Partway Back Again
Girma Yifrashewa, Pianist-Composer, at Issue Project Room
by STEVE SMITH

Published: 9 June 2013

I spent two hours this morning trying to learn how to say "Pleased to meet you" in Amharic. Girma Yifrashewa, one of Ethiopia's most renowned classical musicians and composers, is in NYC for a performance this Saturday night at Issue Project Room, and I snuck into his rehearsal. - Victor Jeffreys II

Classically Gifted

Shen Liknaitzky hears him play and speaks to him about his life as a concert pianist.

Published: 20 March 2007