Ensemble Eòrpa

“…and it strikes her, as she walks, that borders, like hatred, are exaggerated precisely because otherwise they would cease to exist altogether. ”
― Colum McCann, Zoli

Lizabett Russo, originally from Brașov in Romania, is a Scotland based singer-songwriter whose work merges her native traditions with elements of contemporary jazz, avant-garde folk and world music. She stayed with us with fellow musician Graeme Stephen over the Covid lockdown period from November – March 2020/21.

Since March 2020, the global coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns have changed all spheres of our lives. The music scene has certainly suffered from this “new normal”, but how could we use these global lockdowns to create new possibilities, and call forth fresh ways of adapting to this unfamiliar situation? How can we build new and maintain old friendships across borders, allowing music, artists and audiences to come together from their homes?

Partnering with musicians from across Europe – from Scotland, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany and The Netherlands – they investigated ways of working remotely and engaging with an audience during these times. An album was produced with the new trans-European band, aptly named Ensemble Eòrpa (featuring the Gaelic word for Europe), with music written by Lizabett and Graeme for which she took the Huntly bothy ballad 'Bogie's Bonnie Belle' as a starting point. Acting as a way through which to foster global musical connections, the album and project will serve as a think tank for digital and lockdown working, and show that cross border collaboration can still be fruitful and inspirational.

You can purchase the digital album via the following link.

Watch back on the album launch here:

Lizabett Russo's website
Lizabett on Spotify
Lizabett on Youtube

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Creative Scotland
Aberdeenshire Council