Photo by Ken Graham
Liz Donaldson
is a full-time musician, and has been playing piano for Scottish, English, and American contra and square dancing for many years. She is known for her innovative back-up style incorporating exciting rhythms, textures, and harmony lines in her music.
Liz is a member of Terpsichore, Waverley Station, The New Hipsters, Gyrations, The Treble Makers, and Elegant Echoes. Her recordings include English Echoes I and II, A Dancer’s Best Friend, Caledonian Muse, Terpsichore: Scottish Dance Music, and Waverley Station: First Stop!. She is the Artistic Director of the hot live Scottish Country Dance recordings Memories of Scottish Weekend (’98) and More Memories of Scottish Weekend (’02).
Liz has published two books of Scottish tunes: Scottish Dance Class Tunes (revised in 2021) and Scottish Tune Medleys, both of which have become mainstays for Scottish dance players’ libraries worldwide. She has also composed many wonderful tunes, including a host of waltzes.
Liz has taught and played at numerous dance weekends and music workshops including Scottish Weekend, Pinewoods, Asilomar, and TAC Summer School. Her travels have taken her across the US as well as to Great Britain, Canada, France, and Japan. Liz performed for the Smithsonian Institution’s Piano 300 exhibition in ’00 and has performed with Terpsichore at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, DC. In 2017 she was awarded the Scroll of Honour from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society for her contributions to music and dance.
In addition to playing and teaching music, Liz plays for Scottish Ceilidh, community dances, and for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries.
Photo by Ken Graham
Terpsichore:
Elke Baker, Liz Donaldson and Ralph Gordon