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PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A HYBRID SEMINAR - IN PERSON (ROOM MR055 MACROBERT BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEEN) AND ONLINE VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS

Abstract

Scotland is home to a rich variety of sacred song traditions that have provided the soundtrack to daily devotional life for generations. In this illustrated talk, Frances explores the multifaceted landscape of Gaelic spiritual singing, examining Gaelic psalmody, hymnody, and spiritual bàrdachd.

Drawing on six years of field research in the Hebridres, this presentation investigates the repertoires, ornamental practices, and social roles of sacred singing across both historic and contemporary settings. By juxtaposing historical context with present-day living traditions, the talk addresses how these sacred song forms function as vessels for communal memory, linguistic heritage, and spiritual expression in Scotland today.

Biography

Dr Frances Wilkins is Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the Elphinstone Institute, 黑料网, and an active traditional musician. With over twenty years of experience documenting, teaching, and performing within musical communities across Scotland and Canada, her research centres on spiritual song, fiddle, and dance traditions. Her scholarship engages deeply with fieldwork methodologies, oral histories, and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, examining how expressive culture binds communities across time and geographic boundaries. In addition to publishing widely—including her 2018 landmark monograph on North-East Scottish gospel singing—she has authored numerous articles and book chapters on Scottish and maritime traditional music.

Beyond her written scholarship, Frances is committed to public engagement and heritage preservation. She has curated museum exhibitions, established digital sound archives, and developed community web resources. As both an academic researcher and performer, she regularly shares her work with national and international audiences through public lectures, workshops, radio broadcasts, and live concert performances, bringing archival research and living traditional soundscapes directly to life.