EthiopianReporter.com: 'Saturday in the life of Girma Yifrashewa'

[Elilta (Cry of Joy): Ethiopian Classical Music by Girma Yifrashewa; Elilta (7:06), Ambassel (9:40), Chewata (9:31), Sememen (9:50), My Strong Will (7:32), The Shepherd with the Flute (8:50); Girma Yifrashewa, piano; Doroteya Dimitrova, violin; Lyubomir Nikov, cello; Mikhail Zhivkov, clarinet; Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; Dian Tchobanov, Conductor; Balkan Multimedia Center (2006)]

Girma Yifrashewa (b. 1967) is an Ethiopian classical pianist and composer who is profiled at AfriClassical.com. He has a very informative website, http://www.girmayifrashewa.com/ We present excerpts from an article on the way he spends a Saturday:

EthiopianReporter.com

Saturday, 12 March 2011

By Tibebeselassie Tigabu

“When you hear 'Balewashintu Eregna' with that touch of classical music, Girma Yifrashewa comes into mind. He did it as a tribute to Professor Ashenafi Kebede, the original composer of 'Balewashintu Eregna'. Girma Yifrashewa is one of the few musicians who compose Ethiopian music and expresses it by fusing it with classical music.

"7:00

Oh I don’t have to get up at six, there is no rush hmm…one more hour of sleep then, thank God it is Saturday. I always start my day with my prayer…'thank God for the blessings in my life'. I think I heard my two boys’ voices; I have to help them get ready for Sunday school around Bole Medhanialem. It’s been around a week since the big fasting season started so I can’t have milk with my breakfast, but I can still have coffee after my firfir.

"13:00

My favorite time after having lunch and the coffee ceremony is the time I spend with my wife. Since we don’t meet at daylight hours during the weekdays, this is the time where we can have a conversation.

"14:40

The children are napping for a while so I can do the projects I started, or compile music for the coming album, or for my coming concert. I don’t have a fixed time for how long I should practice on Saturday but I always give time to my music. Practice might take two hours or even more than that."

Girma Yifrashewa, Ethiopian Pianist & Composer Born Oct. 15, 1967, Celebrates Chopin Bicentennial

[Elilta (Cry of Joy): Ethiopian Classical Music by Girma Yifrashewa; Elilta (7:06), Ambassel (9:40), Chewata (9:31), Sememen (9:50), My Strong Will (7:32), The Shepherd with the Flute (8:50); Girma Yifrashewa, piano; Doroteya Dimitrova, violin; Lyubomir Nikov, cello; Mikhail Zhivkov, clarinet; Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; Dian Tchobanov, Conductor; Balkan Multimedia Center (2006)]

Girma Yifrashewa is an Ethiopian pianist and composer who has been profiled at AfriClassical.com for several years, and has often been featured on AfriClassical Blog. He was born in Addis Ababa October 15, 1967. As a youth he played the kirar, an Ethiopian instrument. On his first day of music school, at age 16, he saw a piano for the first time. Girma endured severe hardships while earning his Master's degree in Piano Performance in Sofia, Bulgaria, but persevered. Subsequently he became the first Ethiopian classical pianist to perform widely in Africa. Girma played in 11 countries on his debut tour of Africa, and has since perfomed often in Europe, Australia, the U.S. And elsewhere.

We have taken great pleasure from Girma's 2006 CD Elilta. AfriClassical.com is proud to have a 1-minute audio sample of each of the 6 tracks on the recording. Four are solo piano; one is a quartet; and one is an orchestral work with the Sofia Philharmonic, conducted by Dian Tchobanov. Hear them at the Yifrashewa page or the Audio page. With this CD, Girma Yifrashewa has demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating Ethiopian themes within Western classical forms.

Girma has performed music of Chopin in Poland this year, and is also celebrating the Chopin Bicentennial with a concert he is leading this month in Addis Ababa. It was our great pleasure to interview Girma Yifrashewa last Fall, while he was in Los Angeles for the conference “Africa Meets North America” at UCLA.

EthiopianReporter.com: 'The pianist and his strong will: the odyssey of Girma Yifrashewa'

[Elilta (Cry of Joy): Ethiopian Classical Music by Girma Yifrashewa; Elilta (7:06), Ambassel (9:40), Chewata (9:31), Sememen (9:50), My Strong Will (7:32), The Shepherd with the Flute (8:50); Girma Yifrashewa, piano; Doroteya Dimitrova, violin; Lyubomir Nikov, cello; Mikhail Zhivkov, clarinet; Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; Dian Tchobanov, Conductor; Balkan Multimedia Center (2006)]

Girma Yifrashewa (b. 1967) is an Ethiopian classical pianist and composer who is profiled at AfriClassical.com. He has a very informative website, http://www.girmayifrashewa.com/ EthiopianReporter.com has published an overview of his career, and notes that Girma will perform at a concert in honor of the Chopin Bicentennial in Addis Ababa in October:

EthiopianReporter.com

Saturday, 18 September 2010

By Tibebeselassie Tigabu

“He paid many sacrifices to get where he is now, he tells his struggle for the love of music, the path he passed in music and he tells that story through his piece entitled ‘my strong will’, the Ethiopian classical musician and pianist Girma Yifrashewa. Classical music being strange to Ethiopian audience, his every day was a struggle to make people understand his music and tell his story but as he tells the hardship was a blessing for him which made him to find new ways to bring classical music to Ethiopian audience.”

The article says Girma first heard classical music while a student at Yared Music School, and the first work of music he heard was the Polonaise of Frederick Chopin:

“‘Polonaise’ caught his heart, transformed his thinking and at that moment he wanted to do that kind of music. He was inspired by Frederick Chopin back then and now as this year celebrates the 200th anniversary of Frederick Chopin all over the world, Addis Ababa also is going to show the history of this legendary man through concert and Girma will perform the works of Chopin in this concert with other pianists from all over the world next month.”

Girma Yifrashewa, Ethiopian Classical Pianist, Performs in Frankfurt on March 15

AfriClassical heard from the Ethiopian pianist Girma Yifrashewa today:

“Hi Bill, Thanks for the message. I am now in Germany for a concert in Frankfurt. Please see for more info: http://www.bechstein-centren.de/ger/__1/frankfurt/konzerte__1. I will be back in 10 days...” An unofficial translation of the concert announcement from German is:

“Monday, 15 March 2010, 19:00

Girma Yifrashewa - piano

C. Bechstein Centrum in Frankfurt

Free admission | donations welcome

Works by Satie, Debussy, Chopin and Yifrashewa”

Biography

“After 5 years of study at the Sofia State Conservatory in Bulfaria, he received his Master of Music in Piano. The British and German governments supported him for specialization courses at the Royal Academy of Music, London (1997) and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in Leipzig (1999).

“Girma has given many concerts, both within Ethiopia and on international tours within Africa, Europe, the United States and Australia. His most recent concert, in October 2009, was held at the International Music Conference 'Africa meets North America.' It was organized by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and was held in California, USA.

“Girma previously released 3 albums. His latest album Elita includes only original compositions and arrangements, all based on traditional Ethiopian melodies and sounds. They are often a typical Girma Yifrashewa symbiosis/fusion with European Classical style and sound elements. For the Chopin anniversary year 2010, Girma Yifrashewa is in preparation for performances in Poland. Chopin is one of his favorite composers, and he has given very sensitive interpretations of his works at various concerts.”

AfriClassical's most recent post on Girma Yifrashewa, on Feb. 12, 2010, was “GirmaYifrashewa.com is New Website of Ethiopian Classical Pianist & Composer.” All six tracks of Elilta are sampled at the AfriClassical.com Audio page and the site's biographical page on Girma Yifrashewa.

Girma Yifrashewa Comments on AfriClassical's Remembrance of His Birthday

On October 15, 2008, AfriClassical posted a birthday tribute, “Girma Yifrashewa, Ethiopian Composer and Pianist Born Oct. 15, 1967”. Girma's second classical CD is Elilta, consisting of his own compositions. It was released in 2006. All six tracks are sampled at his page at AfriClassical.com and on the Audio page of the website. Girma graciously acknowledged the post in an E-mail comment: “Hi William, I really would like to appreciate your thoughtfulness towards my birthday, you really made me so happy even if I could not open the website from here. I will certainly let you know all my up coming activities. Thank you William for being amongst those I give my credit for a good friends. Best wishes for your upcoming Election!   Girma Yifrashewa"

Girma Yifrashewa's Work “Ambassel” From CD “Elilta” Is On YouTube

[Elilta: Ethiopian Classical Music By Girma Yifrashewa; Girma Yifrashewa, piano; Doroteya Dimitrova, violin; Lyubomir Nikov, cello; Mikhail Zhivkov, clarinet; Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; Dian Tchobanov, Conductor; Balkan Multimedia Center (2006)]

“Elilta”, which means “Cry of Joy”, is the second classical recording of the Ethiopian pianist and composer Girma Yifrashewa (b. 1967). As we reported recently, individual tracks can now be purchased for download at Girma's website. AfriClassical has learned that Track 2, “Ambassel” (9:40) can be heard in its entirety on a YouTube video.