Tesfaye Lemma

Ethiopian composer, choreographer, conductor, and cultural expert.
c. 1946-2013
From 1966 to 1975 Lemma was leading and directing Orchestra Ethiopia, an orchestra with up to 30 different musicians, singers and dancers from all over Ethiopia. The ensemble disbanded after several tours to the US in 1975 because of the Derg revolution in Ethiopia. In the 1980’s, Lemma came to the United States as a refugee. In the 1990’s he created the Ethiopian-American Cultural Center, the Nile Ethiopian Ensemble and the Tesfa Museum, all to relate Ethiopian art, music, and culture to Americans.