About Betelehem Melaku
Betelehem Melaku is an Ethiopian-American musician who embodies the term “one woman band.” She sought asylum and emigrated from Ethiopia with her father and siblings in 1997, a few years after her mother. Upon arriving, Betty traveled across the United States to perform and share her music at weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, and fundraisers. She now resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she works to support her family as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Betty is a wife and the mother of two boys. She comes from a musical family. Her mother, Mulatuwa Kiffle, was a singer with Orchestra Ethiopia, and many of her brothers and sisters play instruments and dance isskista, the Ethiopian shoulder dance. Her father, Melaku Gelaw, was her greatest musical influence, being a traditional and professional musician himself. He played the krar (six-stringed lyre) and the washint (bamboo flute), which inspired Betty to try her hand at the krar. He taught her how to play and she consequently decided to pursue music professionally and for life. Melaku Gelaw also built traditional instruments, including the ones Betty still plays on today. Not only does Betty play the krar, she studied the masenqo, piano, and violin at the Yared School of Music in Ethiopia. Through her mastery of these many instruments she is able to combine western and popular influences with traditional ethiopian sounds. For Betty, music is a universal language that allows people to communicate “by heart.” Using this unique and eclectic fusion, she wishes to share her tradition and knowledge with others. She has also carried on the family tradition of musicality by teaching her 12 year old son how to play the krar, but hopes to become a music teacher for the greater Boston community.
In Her Own Words: Betty's Mission
Growing up in Ethiopia, my father would sit my family down in a circle to tell us tales of his childhood and sing for us – encouraging us to join him. People knew of my father as the renowned Melaku Gelaw. He was continuously uplifting and generous. He dedicated all of his time to teaching his community how to play traditional Ethiopian music in our living room. When he wasn't teaching ambassadors and doctors how to play, he was busy teaching at the Yared School of Music. He showed me the importance of sharing our culture through music. As a child, after his students would leave, I would pick up his instruments and play with them, trying to mimic the sounds my father had taught his students. Even though he wanted me to explore a more practical profession, like medicine or engineering, I could not help but to continue immersing myself in the beauty of Ethiopian music. Today, my son follows in my footsteps. Though we no longer live in Ethiopia and my father has since passed away, the lessons he imparted still linger with me. Since coming to the United States, my primary mission has been to promote my culture and our music – both the traditional and the cultural fusions that have come as a result of my Ethiopian-American immigrant identity. Any opportunity to share my music is incredibly valuable to me because the Boston community does not have a strong Ethiopian presence.
In Memory of Melaku Gelaw
Betty's father was a traditional krar and washint virtuoso who also made instruments. Born in the Lasta area of Wollo Province near Lalibela in 1944, he is of both Amhara and Agau descent. He learned to play the washint while guarding cattle in the fields. Melaku left home as a young teenager because his father disapproved of his musical practice. At age 20, he moved to Addis Ababa, where he learned to play the krar and auditioned for Hager Fekre (The Patriotic Association). However, he was rejected due to the racism of the judges. Nevertheless, he auditioned for the newly organized Orchestra Ethiopia, where he was accepted. In 1968, he left Orchestra Ethiopia to teach at the Beherawi (National School) and also taught at the Yared School of Music for 28 years.
After coming to the US, Melaku continued to make musical instruments at his home in Virginia and performed at occasional concerts. He did not play in restaurants or at weddings like his daughter, but he did release his own CD in the US, and also collaborated with Charles Sutton, Getamesay Abebe, and Tesfaye Lemma on a joint CD titled Reunion. Melaku Gelaw died in early 2018.
