Liz Donaldson

NEW CD! "English Echoes": English Country Dance Favorites.
Liz Donaldson, Becky Ross, and Colleen Reed with Bruce Edwards.

LIZ DONALDSON (Bethesda, MD) is a full-time musician and dance caller, and has been playing piano for dancing for many years. She is known for her innovative back-up style incorporating exciting rhythms, textures, and harmony lines in her music. In addition to playing for Scottish, English and American contra and square dances, Liz teaches all these styles, and dances, too!

photo by Ken Graham

She is a member of Terpsichore, Waverley Station, and The New Hip Trio. Liz’s latest recording is "English Echoes: English Country Dance Favorites" with Becky Ross on fiddle and Colleen Reed on flute. Also appearing on the CD is bassoonist Bruce Edwards. Liz’s most recent Scottish Country Dance CD "Caledonian Muse" with fiddler Elke Baker and bassist/cellist Ralph Gordon is a welcome addition to "Terpsichore, Scottish Dance Music.", a duo recording with Elke. Liz also joins David Knight (fiddle) and Ralph on "Waverley Station: First Stop!" She is the Artistic Director and pianist on the hot live Scottish Country Dance recording "More Memories of Scottish Weekend ('02).

Liz has published two books of Scottish tunes: "Scottish Dance Class Tunes" and the more recent "Scottish Tune Medleys" book, as well as "Rain in the Desert", a collection of her own compositions.

Liz has taught and played at numerous dance weekends and music workshops including Scottish Weekend at Ramblewood (MD), Pinewoods (MA), and Asilomar (CA). Her travels have taken her across the US as well as to Great Britain, Canada, France, and Japan. In 2000-2001 Liz led Performance Tours for the Smithsonian Institution's Piano 300 exhibition and in ‘03 and ‘07 performed with Terpsichore at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, DC.

Liz also teaches BandAid, ensemble-playing workshops, and enjoys composing tunes, especially waltzes.

In addition to playing and teaching music, Liz is in demand as a caller of Scottish, and English dancing and American contras and squares, and particularly enjoys working with dancers of all ages and experience.