Biography
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou (born Yewubdar Gebru, December 12, 1923 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – March 26, 2023) was an Ethiopian composer, pianist, and nun of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, known by the honorific title Emahoy and the religious name Tsegué-Maryam. Born into an aristocratic family—her father Kentiba was a diplomat and later mayor of Gondar—she and her sister Senedu were among the first Ethiopian girls to be educated abroad, attending a boarding school in Basel, Switzerland from age six. There she studied violin and piano, giving her first recital at age 10. After returning to Ethiopia, she worked briefly in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and played her compositions for Emperor Haile Selassie. The Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1936, which led to her family’s imprisonment and exile and the deaths of three brothers, profoundly shaped her life; she later chose monastic life, spending about a decade in a remote northern Ethiopian monastery before returning to Addis Ababa to resume composing and teaching.
Emahoy’s music is a deeply personal fusion of Ethiopian sacred and folk traditions, European classical piano (especially Romantic and fin de siècle parlor styles), gospel, and jazz idioms. Her compositions draw on Ethiopian kignits such as tizita (longing), anchihoye, bati, and ambassel, while also reflecting her studies of Saint Yared’s sixth-century liturgical music and her exposure to Western classical and jazz in Switzerland and Cairo. In the 1960s she recorded her first albums in Germany—Spielt Eigene Kompositionen and Der Sang des Meeres—with support from Emperor Haile Selassie and her brother-in-law, using the proceeds to support homeless orphans (yekolo temari). Though sometimes loosely associated with Ethio-jazz, her introspective, lyrical piano works resist easy categorization. Over her lifetime she composed over 150 works for piano, organ, and chamber ensembles, dedicating her music rights and legacy to the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation in Washington, D.C., which continues her charitable work for children.
Fun Facts
- Emahoy and her sister Senedu were the first Ethiopian girls to study abroad, sent to a Swiss boarding school in Basel at age six.
- She gave up all her worldly possessions—including her name, hair, shoes, and beloved piano— when she entered a remote monastery in northern Ethiopia, only resuming her musical career after returning to Addis Ababa about ten years later.
- She composed over 150 works for piano, organ, opera, and chamber ensembles, and donated all her music rights (including unpublished works) to the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation in Washington, D.C., to support underprivileged children.
- Though her music is sometimes grouped with Ethio-jazz, writer Ted Gioia noted that 'There is no genre for funky Ethiopian nuns,' highlighting her resistance to easy categorization.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Alexander Kontorowicz - Violin teacher in Cairo (Private violin instruction) [Late 1930s–1940s]
- Saint Yared - Spiritual and musical inspiration through his sixth-century Ethiopian Orthodox liturgical music (Liturgical chants and modes) [1960s onward]
Key Collaborators
- Emperor Haile Selassie - Patron and supporter who funded her first record (First record released in Germany in 1967) [1960s]
- Brother-in-law (unspecified name) - Funded her second German album (Der Sang des Meeres) [1963]
Artists Influenced
- Contemporary Ethiopian and international pianists and composers - Inspired by her unique fusion of Ethiopian sacred modes with Western classical and jazz piano, and her life as a nun-composer (Her piano compositions and recordings such as Spielt Eigene Kompositionen and Songs for the Children) [1990s–present]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Spielt Eigen Kompositionen | 1963 | Album |
| Church of Kidane Mehret | 2025-05-23 | Album |
| Jerusalem | 2023-04-14 | Album |
| Souvenirs | 2024-02-23 | Album |
| Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru played by Maya Dunietz & String Ensemble, Live in Paris | 2024-11-08 | Album |
| Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru played by Maya Dunietz & String Ensemble, Live in Paris | 2024-11-08 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Song of Abayi (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- Mother's Love (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- Homesickness (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- The Homeless Wanderer (Spielt Eigen Kompositionen)
- Evening Breeze (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- The Homeless Wanderer (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- The Story of the Wind (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- Ballad of the Spirits (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
- The Storm (Church of Kidane Mehret)
- The Jordan River Song (Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo))
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru has been played 3 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | 01:19 | Ballad of the Spirits | Midnight Music | |
| Dec 8, 2025 | 06:31 | The Last Tears of the Deceased | The Morning Setw/ Stuart Hall | |
| Sep 29, 2025 | 06:46 | mother's lovefrom ethiopiques vol. 21 | The Morning Setw/ Stuart Hall |