Meet Deacon Abel (Abelkirar)

Where It Began I first heard the Kirar the way many of us do — inside the walls of a church. At St. Tekle Haymanot Church in Merkato, I watched a teacher named Habtamu play and sing, and something in me shifted. It felt like heaven. I remember thinking: I need to learn to play and sing like this. I started taking lessons with Habtamu, but his schedule filled up, and after two lessons, that was it. If I wanted to keep going, I would have to teach myself. Learning Without a Teacher This was before smartphones and fast internet were common where I lived. There weren't many videos I could reach from home, so I would go to free wifi spots at government offices, sit outside in the sun, and download whatever tutorials I could find — often from Zemari Deacon Adams — along with recordings of live performances. I practiced with what I downloaded, over and over, until it made sense in my hands. Within three months, I could play. That was the moment I learned something I still believe: anyone can learn Kirar, if they learn it the right way. Growing Through Servicee From there, I kept building — playing in church, at weddings, wherever I was needed. I had the chance to serve alongside some genuinely gifted singers, and every one of them taught me something I couldn't have learned alone. It's been eight years since that first lesson with Habtamu. I'm still learning, still improving. But I've reached a point where I can look back at that path — the slow start, the free wifi, the three months of practice — and see exactly where I can save someone else the time I lost.

Why I Teach I didn't have a strong smartphone or reliable internet when I started. You probably do. That gap between what I had and what's available now is exactly why I want to teach — not just the knowledge, but the experience. The specific things that helped me get fast, get accurate, and understand the instrument in three months instead of three years.

The Bigger Picture In Ethiopia, the church music tradition is something else entirely — the Kirar, bass, washint, and Mesenqo woven together with the singers, the sound system, the live recording, all of it precise and alive. Outside Ethiopia, I've seen Orthodox churches doing incredible work, but often with methods that haven't caught up — the same setup, the same approach, for years. I want to help close that gap. That's what Abel Kirar Academy is for: teaching Kirar players abroad not just how to play, but how to set up their sound, choose a good instrument, and even handle basic studio recording — so Orthodox churches outside Ethiopia can have the same living, breathing sound we have at home. * This is where Abel Kirar Academy started, and it's the experience I bring to every lesson.