Ethiopian Orthodox Spiritual Music

Learn the Kirar. Carry the tradition forward.

Abelkirar trains the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox diaspora to play the Kirar with skill and reverence — so worship sounds the way it was always meant to.

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Our Mission

Preserving Ethiopian spiritual music, one musician at a time

Abelkirar exists to train Kirar players wherever the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox diaspora has gathered — so that worship in churches across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe is carried by musicians who play with real skill and understanding.

Abelkirar is led by a Kirar musician and Ethiopian Orthodox Church Deacon, teaching the instrument the way it has always been taught — by ear, by tradition, and in service of the liturgy — combined with structured, modern online lessons.

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“Music that carries the liturgy shouldn’t be left to chance.”

Online Courses

A curriculum built for every stage

From your first scale to leading worship, structured for the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora — kids and adults alike.

Level 1

Beginner

Start from silence

Build the foundation: how the Kirar is held, tuned, and played, and how it carries Ethiopian Orthodox worship.

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Level 2

Intermediate

Find your voice

Sharpen technique and rhythm, and begin playing alongside singers with a tone and style of your own.

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Level 3

Advanced

Lead worship

Professional technique, complex rhythm and arrangement, and the performance skills to lead in church.

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Handmade Instruments

Instruments built for worship, made to order

Kirar, Begena, and Masenqo, customized in shape, finish, and size, and shipped to the US, UK, and Europe.

Kirar

The six-string lyre at the heart of Ethiopian spiritual music — handcrafted and tuned for worship.

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Begena

The deep, meditative ten-string lyre used in Orthodox devotional practice.

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Masenqo

A single-string bowed instrument, compact and expressive, built for traveling musicians.

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A community for Kirar players, wherever they live

Monthly online gatherings, student performances, and workshops with guest Ethiopian musicians — built for a diaspora scattered across continents but united in worship.

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