Life and ministry
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru [ፅጌ ማርያም ገብሩ] was born in 1923 with the civil name Yewubdar Gebru. Her parents were Kentiba Gebru Desta and Kassaye Yelemtu. Emahoy Tsege Mariam was a pianist, composer, and Ethiopian nun. She passed away in Jerusalem in 2023.
» For an excellent timeline of Emahoy Tsege Mariam,
view the Emahoy Virtual Museum.
Albums
(1) [Tsege Mariam Gebru] spielt eigene Kompositionen. Vinyl released in 1967. [Reissued by Mississippi Records in 2022]
(2) The Hymn of Jerusalem. The Jordan River Song. 1970. [Reissued by Mississippi Records in 2022 as Jerusalem]
(3) Yet My King Is from Old. Church Of Kidane Mehret, 1972.
(4) Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. CD released by Buda in 2006. (Ethiopia Song: Ethiopiques no. 21)
(5) The Visionary: Piano Solo. Released by Emahoy Tsegue Maryam Music Foundation, 2012.
(6) Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guèbru. Vinyl released by Mississippi Records in 2016. (MRP-099)
(7) Souvenirs. Vinyl, cassette and CD released by Modulor Records in 2024. [Recorded between 1977 and 1985; vocal album]
Connect
» Follow “Emahoy Tsige-Mariam Foundation” on Facebook
» Visit “Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music” YouTube channel
» Visit website “Emahoy Music Publisher” website
Audio (commercial and freemium)
» Check Emahoy Tsige-Mariam’s tracks on
Audio (YouTube)
Albums
vol. 1 (playlist):
vol. 2 (playlist):
vol. 3:
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vol. 4:
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vol. 6 (playlist):
vol. 7 (playlist):
Video
» Watch presentations and documentations
Further reading
Feng, Thomas. “The Life and Music of Emahoy Tsege-Mariam Gebru.”
DMA dissertation, Cornell University, May 2025. [Download Feng_cornellgrad_0058F_14876.pdf]
- View additional resources by Thomas Feng
Cross-references
For an overview of her life and music, see the Bandcamp article by Megan Iacobini de Fazio.
For Emahoy Tsege-Mariam’s father, Protestant educated Gebru Desta, see article “Gäbrä Égziýabéher Dästa” (Sewasew.com)