Help Ensemble Pampinea record our first CD!

650 years after the death of Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377), and approaching the 4-year anniversary of Ensemble Pampinea, we think it is finally time: we want to make our first CD (also digital release)!

For years, “Fortuna, will you spare us?” has been one of our favourite programmes to perform — and one of which our audiences love the most. After concerts, people come up to us all the time to ask:

“Do you have a CD? We would love to listen to your music at home!”

The idea of recording the programme has grown from a dream into a real project. We are now ready to make it happen — but we would need some help from you…!

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<About the project>

"Fortuna, will you spare us?" takes the listeners into the musical world of the late Middle Ages, exploring music written around the themes of fate, love, desire, chance and the unpredictability of life.

At the heart of the programme is the music of Guillaume de Machaut, whose death-memorial year provides a timely occasion to revisit his extraordinary musical legacy, alongside the poetries about Fortuna in the next generation of composers of the Ars Subtilior.

Our aim is to bring this music to life with the energy, colour and spontaneity that we experience when performing it live. Our programme leaves an element of chance to Fortuna herself: in concert, our audience can roll the dice and influence the order in which the music is performed!

The CD will allow us to preserve this project beyond the concert hall and share it with listeners far beyond the places where we perform!

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<Who are we?>

We are a Basel-based early music ensemble, consisting of musicians graduated from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis – the programme of Fortuna has accompanied us to the U.K., Germany, Slovenia and also beyond Europe, in Calgary, Lacombe and Canmore in Canada. It will also soon be showcased, for the first time, in our home base, Basel.

We are passionate about bringing medieval and early Renaissance music to life through historically-informed performance, imaginative programming and interactive connections with our audiences.

For this recording, the line-up will be:

Emilė Ribokaitė (LT) — voice

Vojtěch Jakl (CZ) — fiddle

António Godinho (PT) — recorder

Fiona Kizzie Lee (HK) — organetto, recorder, pipe & tabor, double recorder, artistic direction

Recording engineer & producer: Jakub Klimeš (CZ)

Recording: 6–14 October 2026

Recording venue: Šumskas Manor Oval Hall, Lithuania

(© 2025 Modestas Endriuška )

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<Why do we need your support?>

Making a professional CD is a surprisingly large undertaking.

As young musicians and as an independent ensemble, we have been actively looking for funding to make this project possible.

We were delighted to discover the unique acoustics of the Oval Hall of the Šumskas Manor in performing there October 2025 - and under the generous support of the owners of the Šumskas Manor, we will be able to use the Hall for the whole duration of the recording for free.

We also receive €2,200 from Vilnius District Municipality in Lithuania, which supports some part of the costs of the project — but this covers only around 10% of the total costs.

As CD production is often considered a commercial activity, we have unfortunately not been able to obtain the Swiss cultural fundings we initially hoped for.

So now we are turning to the people who make our music-making possible in the first place:

--- our listeners, friends, supporters and audiences ---

Your contribution, whatever its size, will help us turn "Fortuna, will you spare us?" from a concert programme into a lasting recording.

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<What will your support cover?>

Your donations will help us pay for:

A high-quality recording requires an experienced recording engineer, careful editing, mixing and mastering. Jakub Klimeš is the perfect person for this. (Testimonials from Fiona and other colleagues!)

Our musicians are travelling to Lithuania from Switzerland, Portugal and Czechia, and we also need to transport our instruments on an extra seat/ extra luggage, like the organetto and the fiddle.

Manufacturing the physical CDs, preparing the booklet, and making the recording available to listeners through streaming platforms and other means.

Creating the visual material needed to present and promote the project.

Every contribution brings us one step closer to hearing this music captured forever.

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Become part of the project

We have prepared different rewards to thank you for helping us make our first CD possible.

*1 CHF = 1.07 Euro as of August 26th, 2026*

[CHF 50 — Friend of the Project]

Your name will be featured on Ensemble Pampinea’s website as a supporter of the recording project.

[CHF 70 — CD & Thank You]

You will receive a copy of the CD immediately upon its release, together with a handwritten thank-you card.

[CHF 150 — Signed CD, a Tote bag & Friend of the Project]

You will receive a signed copy of the CD, a Tote bag of our special design (a secret, but you will like it), a handwritten thank-you card, and your name will be featured on our website as a supporter.

[CHF 300 — Two signed CDs & a Private Lesson]

You will receive two signed CDs and a private lesson with Fiona Kizzie Lee in Basel (If the lesson takes place outside Basel, the venue and any additional travel costs will need to be arranged by the recipient).

[CHF 500 — Patron of the Project]

Your name will be printed in the CD booklet as a patron of our recording project. You will also receive two signed CDs and a handwritten thank-you card.

[CHF 2,000 — Patron & Private Concert]

Become one of the principal supporters of "Fortuna, will you spare us?" Your name will be printed in the CD booklet as a patron of the project. You will receive a signed CD and a private Ensemble Pampinea concert in Basel (The venue and associated costs will be arranged by the recipient).

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❤️ Help us make it happen ❤️

This CD is much more than a recording for us.

It is the culmination of years of researching, travelling, performing and building an audience around the music that we deeply love. It is a way of preserving a programme that has meant so much to us — and of sharing it with people who may never have the opportunity to hear us perform live – reaching continents beyond the ones we physically set foot on.

Whether you contribute CHF 10, CHF 50, CHF 500, or simply share this campaign with someone who loves early music, you are helping us bring this project to life.

Thank you for believing in our music, supporting independent musicians, and giving our project a chance.

Will you spare us, Fortuna?

With gratitude❤️

Ensemble Pampinea

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