Girma Yifrashewa - The Shepherd with the Flute [2001]

   

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

     Born in Addis Ababa on 15 October 1967, Girma Yefrashewa learnt to play the Kirar, a harp-like traditional Ethiopian string instrument, at a tender age. He was introduced to piano at the age of 16 when he joined the Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa , where he studied for four years and graduated with a diploma in piano under Valentina Semenova. He then received a five-year bursary from the Ethiopian government to study at the Sofia State Conservatory of Music, in Bulgaria and graduated with a Masters in Piano under Professor Atanas Kurtev.

        It is in Bulgaria that he made an impact as a solo pianist holding shows throughout the country until his return to East Africa in 1995.

          His best achievement as a performer is in the sphere of romantic and impressionist repertoires, above all the piano works of Schumann, Schubert, Chopin and Debussy. He has a preference and well-determined approach to the music of Bach as well as to those of Mozart and Beethoven.

       Girma was privileged to have received scholarships for short-term specialization courses from the British and German Governments, at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1997) under Professor Frank Wibaut and at the Hochschule fur Music Und Theater – Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy – in Leipzig (1999) under Professor Helgeheide Schimdt , respectively.

       With regard to his work experience, on his return to Ethiopia in 1995, he took up a position with the Yared School of Music as a piano teacher where he worked until 2001. He was also working at the Sheraton Addis as a Pianist for one year (2000-2001). Now Girma is involved in his private work to promote Ethiopian and Classical Music throughout the continent and beyond. On his spare time, he also gives private piano lessons to students of different age groups.

       Girma has so far released three albums: The Shepherd with the Flute (2001), Meleya Keleme (2003) and Elilta (2005).

       Girma has many compositions (among which is the famed Shepherd with the Flute, based on the composition of Professor Ashenafi Kebede’s music) and has extensively worked on music arrangement. His latest album “Elilta” features exclusively his own compositions and arrangements and the pieces are all based on Ethiopian traditional tunes.

       In 2005, on the occasion of the celebrations of the 100th Anniversary of the commencement of Ethio-German diplomatic relations, Girma was given the unique opportunity to perform with the German Leipzig Youth Symphony Orchestra. The concert of German music (Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 2) and Ethiopian music (Girma’s own compositions) was highly acclaimed both in German (Leipzig and Berlin) and Addis Ababa.

       Girma has held many concerts both in Ethiopia and outside not only on his international tours (solo tour and with Ethiopian vocalists), but also on separate invitations sent to him (Egypt, Djibouti, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, Seychelles, Zambia, Malawi, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Australia, USA).

        In October 2009, Girma was invited for the International Symposium and Festival in The USA under the title of “Africa Meets North America “In the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

                               The Shepherd with the Flute

      The 2001 CD, The Shepherd with the Flute, includes works of Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart and Schumann, as well as a new work by the pianist himself. It is called The Shepherd Flutist (7:14) and is based on The Shepherd with the Flute, a composition of Ashenafi Kebede, an Ethiopian composer. 

01. Girma Yifrashewa - Für Elise (2:51)

02. Girma Yifrashewa - Fantasie-Impromptu Op.66 (5:19)
03. Girma Yifrashewa - The shepherd with the flute (7:14)
04. Girma Yifrashewa - Gymnopedie (3:57)
05. Girma Yifrashewa - Nocturen Op. 54 No 4 (3:51)
06. Girma Yifrashewa - Papillons Op.2 (15:43)
07. Girma Yifrashewa - Rondo alla Turca (3:30)
08. Girma Yifrashewa - Prelude No 2 (4:11)
09. Girma Yifrashewa - Clair de lune (4:51)
10. Girma Yifrashewa - Valse in A minor Op.34, No 2 (4:52)
11. Girma Yifrashewa - Arabesque Op.18 (6:26)