Brianna Lizotte comes from a musical family, and playing fiddle for her loved ones is a dream—literally. “I grew up in Sylvan Lake, and I come from a long line of fiddle players,” she says. “Musicians passed away or couldn’t play any more. I had a dream that I was playing fiddle for my family, and it brought my family together after hearing no music for a while.”
To further this dream, Lizotte worked hard to improve her playing, and enrolled in the Music program at MacEwan University. “The MacEwan program was intense, in a good way. The first year was a culture shock because Sylvan Lake is such a small town. Then when COVID happened, it was impossible for us to meet and get together. That was rough. My third and fourth years were great. That’s where I met my band and made lifelong friends.”
The most dramatic plot twist in Lizotte’s story came in 2022. The Métis National Council organized a trip to Rome, and Lizotte says, “I had known about that trip for a long time, because it was such a big deal, to have the three Indigenous groups go to talk to Pope Francis about residential schools.”
Lizotte was sick with COVID when she got a call from Audrey Poitras, President of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Poitras asked Lizotte whether she would like to come to Rome with the group of elders and other representatives. “I came out of my sickness three days later, and I wondered whether it was a dream,” laughs Lizotte. “I had to call Audrey back and ask if it really happened.”
The trip to Rome in April 2022 was an emotional experience. Lizotte was among a group of 32 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people from across Canada who met with Vatican officials.
“It brought up past traumas for some of the elders who were with us. There was a blanket of sorrow on that trip, with private meetings, and a public meeting that was televised. It was difficult to hear everyone’s stories.” Lizotte says that the musicians were “a piece of home,” invited to bring spirits back up.
“It helped all of us cope. A lot of the elders had never been out of the province before. It was culture shock, as well as talking about hard memories.”
Lizotte adds that an audible reaction could be heard in the room during the Pope’s apology to Indigenous residential school survivors. “When it came, we gasped. The whole room. It was a sigh of relief, to hear someone acknowledge the past that way. My whole life I wanted to hear something like that. It was beautiful to see.”
“Each Indigenous group was asked to bring a musical act up to play, and we were last up. We played and we could see the Pope’s foot was tapping to our music That’s crazy. We even got a thumbs up.”
Now, Lizotte says, she has been thrilled to continue her musical journey. “I’m a full-time musician, and I’m lucky to say that. I have had support from the Métis Nation of Alberta. Now I’m working beyond the Métis world, and into indie and folk. It keeps building!”
Brianna’s new album, released in July 2024, is called Winston & I.
Brianna Lizotte and her band will play The Aviary on November 21. The group includes Ethan Graves (trombone and percussion), Nathan Cedeño (tenor sax), Francesco Rizzuto (acoustic guitar) and Brandon Baker (electric guitar).
On December 6, Brianna Lizotte and Ethan Graves will be part of the Bill Bourne Tribute concert at New Moon Folk Club. They will also play the Fort Edmonton Christmas Market on December 14.
