Above: pianist and composer Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guebrù (video by Omer Gefen) A cloistered Ethiopian Orthodox nun has been brought into the spotlight after an Israeli musician discovered reams of her original musical compositions, many of which will be premiered today according to Britain's Daily Mail. Emahoy Tsegué-Mariam Guebrù, 90, has spent the last 70 years as an Ethiopian Orthodox nun, praying and writing music, much of which she set aside in plastic bags. As a young adult, Guebrù had been admitted to study at one of London's music schools, but Ethiopian officials forbade her to leave in the face of political turmoil in her home country. Israeli pianist and singer Maya Dunietz learned of Guebrù when Dunietz's husband bought a CD of some of Guebrù's music. Dunietz, who lives in Jerusalem, learned that Guebrù lives in the Ethiopian Orthodox convent in Jerusalem and tracked her down. Dunietz has since collected Guebrù's music into a book and has organized a series of concerts, the first of which takes place today. Read more: Ethiopian Nun, 90, Who Has Spent Her Life in a Convent Is Revealed To Be a Musical Genius (Daily Mail)
Jennifer Hambrick unites her extensive backgrounds in the arts and media and her deep roots in Columbus to bring inspiring music to central Ohio as Classical 101’s midday host. Jennifer performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before earning a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.