In July, I had a chance to meet up on Zoom with Nebyu Yohannes, a multi-talented musician, teacher, and composer. He has played with a variety of renowned artists, including his most recent foray with Noah Kahan on the August 28th stop in Vancouver. I first saw Yohannes perform during a Vancouver Film Festival showing of “Broken Flowers,” where the Kidannes Ensemble was performing in the VIFF Live Summer series.
Nebyu Yohannes is a West Coast native who grew up in New Westminster and attended their local secondary school. As a 32-year-old musician, he has a broad array of experience both nationally and abroad. When I saw him at VIFF, he had just arrived back from a 3-month hiatus in Africa, where he was working with a variety of musicians, expanding his knowledge of Ethiopian Jazz. Interestingly, several compositions being performed at the VIFF show were composed during and after this trip.
Musical Learnings, Leanings and Teachings
In conversation, I wanted to delve deeper into what brought this young musical explorer to where he was now with his instrumentation. I found out he has been “tinkering” with music all his life. For instance, in his early teen years, he was intent on learning David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and similar ’ 70s-influenced music because of his father. As he grew, he expanded his refined musical acumen. Once he acquired a keyboard to play, he decided to emulate Keith Jarrett’s “The Köln Concert” album. Yohannes’ passions run parallel to those of Jacob Collier when it comes to exploring sound. He just wants to find what feels right.
He also points out that “Music isn’t meant to be played in a vacuum; it is a very social thing.” This thought really resonated when I heard him talk about his musicianship while he was growing up in New Westminster. His teen life revolved around co-opting friends such as Will Chernoff and Madeleine Elkins to jam outside of classes. These threads weave themselves through his whole career. Presently, he and his partner, Feven Kidane, are preparing to play with Haleluya Hailu and other artists they met in Seattle. It’s all part of the inner growth that elevates his love of working and chilling as a music experimenter. He thrives when he can expand himself in music. It reminds me of when he talked about the discomfort he felt when being boxed into a genre.
Explorations in Teaching and New Musical Directions
In the last part of our interview, I realized this lifetime of support and exploration had served his teaching, too. It was then, during the discussion about teaching at a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) Summer class as a sessional instructor, that I heard the culmination of life experiences surface. Yohannes reflects on the moment the young teens walked into the VSO studios “quiet” and maybe a little nervous as teens tend to be on first meetings. By the end, the youth were busy managing and aiding each other in their musical explorations. This was due in large part to the confidence and safety felt in the space held and created by their teacher.
Nebyu Yohannes carries music like a calm running river. He is always moving, gathering stories, and making room for others along the way. Through sound, he invites us not only to listen, but to be part of the process. At such a young age, it will be interesting to see where his future path brings him next. Also, check out his partner Feven Kidane’s SeeChangemakers interview.