ATSE TEWODROS PROJECT is a collective of Italian and Ethiopian traditional musicians born from an idea by Ethio-Italian singer/writer and performer Gabriella Ghermandi. It is a unique project as it is the only existent Italian-Ethiopian band. The ensemble intends to respect traditional Ethiopian music while opening it up to dialogue and exchange.
The group deals with creating pieces of Ethiopian music with jazz inserts, and its peculiarity lies in the fact that it does not only offer highland music, known in the context of Ethiopian jazz, but also produces music according to the tradition of ethnic groups whose music is quite unknown outside Ethiopia. In fact, the group produces songs in 8 different languages and in addition to the highland ethnic groups offers kunama, gamo, gofa, oromo, and other traditional music.

In 2022 Atse Tewodros Project recorded the second album “Maqeda” (Ethiopian name of the Queen of Sheba), entirely dedicated to the female figures of the Ethiopian history and mythology and of rituals of ethnic groups that have women at their centre. It is the result of a scrupulous ethno-musicological research in Ethiopia, and all songs and lyrics are written in collaboration between Ethiopia and Italy.
The album will be launched in a concert at the ‘G. Verdi’ Auditorium of the Italian Cultural Institute in Addis Ababa on February 7, at 18.30.
The concert programme also presents some pieces of the Italian popular tradition performed by inserting traditional Ethiopian instruments: an innovative exchange, as up to now Atse Tewodros Project has performed concerts only with original pieces, inspired by the Ethiopian tradition.

Besides the concert at the Institute, the ensemble will hold a workshop with the students of the Addis Ababa University's Yared School of Music (February 6).
Moreover, in the previous days, the group will experience the local music scene performing two jam sessions at the Fendika cultural centre – 'home' of traditional Ethiopian music .
The concert and the album will also be promoted in radio interviews with Gabriella Ghermandi by two local broadcasters.