A group of people standing outdoors on a grassy area under a partly cloudy sky, participating in an exhibition. The image features individuals of various ages, some dressed in jackets and hats, with a building visible on the right. The text overlay reads: '6 Years, 10 Islands, 100 People, 300 Songs' and mentions an exhibition curated by Dr. Frances Wilkins and Ronan Martin.

Outputs

Research facts

  • 6 years

  • 10 Islands

  • 100 people

  • 300 songs

Poster with a large stylized violin and photos of people, promoting Nimitaau dance event at the University of Aberdeen, occurring from July 11 to September 30, 2018.

Outputs

  • Nimitau Exhibition

  • Film

  • Journal articles

Research facts

  • 2 provinces (Ontario & Quebec)

  • 3 years

  • 30 fiddle players

Book cover titled 'Singing the Gospel along Scotland's North-East Coast, 1859-2009' by Frances Wilkins, part of SOAS Musicology Series, featuring a black-and-white photo of a gospel choir performing on stage.

Outputs

  • Book

  • Journal articles

Research facts

  • North East Scotland

  • 5 years

  • 70 interviews

Seinn SPIORADAIL

Sacred Soundscapes of the Highlands and Islands (2019-2023)

In September 2019, Frances started working on her latest research project, exploring the sacred singing traditions of the West Highlands and Western Isles.

Putting ethnographic fieldwork at the heart of the project, Frances has been interviewing and recording singers from a variety of backgrounds across the region, and will be continue her research throughout 2022 and 2023.

Resources
Sacred Singing Scotland Blogspot
www.seinn.org

Funded by
The British Academy, The Carnegie Trust, The Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Close-up of a woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skin, smiling softly, with bookshelves in the background.

The Cree Fiddlers of James Bay

Eeyou music and dance traditions in James Bay, Canada (2011-2016)

Since 2011, Frances has been working on a research project exploring Eeyou music and dance traditions in the James Bay region and their historical and musical connections to Scotland via connections with the Hudson's Bay Company from the late 1600s.

She has visited and conducted fieldwork in the region in Wemindji, Waskaganish, Mistissini, Ouje-Bougoumou, Moose Factory and Moosonee.

Resources
James Bay Fiddle Blogspot

Funded by
The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Foundation for Canadian Studies in the United Kingdom, Wemindji Cultural Department, and the University of Aberdeen.

The documentary features singers from the project including Iseabail T MacDonald.

Person with brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a navy quilted coat with a fur-lined hood, looking at a wall of colorful profile posters of people at an art exhibit.

The Exhibition at Museum nan Eilean, Stornoway.

A woman and an older man with white hair and glasses are sitting on a floral-patterned sofa in a living room, engaging in conversation. The woman is wearing a blue and black patterned shirt, and the man is in a white shirt with a blue tie, holding a black folder. The room has ornate wallpaper, a wooden clock on the wall, a table lamp, and a small table with various equipment and electronic devices in front of them.

Frances conducting research and recording participants.

A person with light brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a dark puffy jacket with a fur-lined hood, is observing framed biography posters of various individuals on a white gallery wall.
An indoor museum exhibit displaying historical items in glass cases, with informational posters on the walls, including books and photographs, in a well-lit room with wooden floors and purple chairs.

The Exhibition at Museum nan Eilean, Stornoway.

A woman smiling and holding an accordion, and a man playing a violin, standing in a room decorated with hanging heart-shaped ornaments.
A museum or gallery exhibit with informational posters on walls, display cases with artifacts, tables, and chairs in a well-lit room with wooden floors.
Three people sit on chairs near a stone fireplace, playing musical instruments: a woman with long blonde hair holding an accordion, a woman with dark hair and glasses holding maracas, and a man wearing a red cap playing a violin.

Frances conducting research and recording participants.

Sacred Traditions of North East Scotland
2005-2009

From September 2005 until February 2009, Frances worked as a full-time researcher of sacred music traditions of North-East and Northern Isles coastal communities, supervised by Dr Ian Russell at the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen.

She travelled extensively throughout North-East Scotland making audio recordings of musical events and conducting interviews. The research culminated in a numerous conference papers, articles, and the publication of her first full-length monograph by Routledge, Singing the Gospel along Scotland's North-East Coast, 1859-2009 in 2018.

Funeralscapes

Funeralscapes is a unique and exciting interplay between landscape, music and emotion. Combining fieldwork at ancient burial sites in Scotland with public engagement activities, this project aims to reconnect the landscape with its sonic environment.

By re-experiencing and re-interpreting the sonic environment of burial and funerals, we hope to learn more about why people choose specific burial locations, their acoustic qualities, and the roles of music and sound during the burial process.

Soundscapes Rostock

In 2010-11, Frances spent one semester working as a Eurolecturer, funded by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung Foundation, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock. She worked with ethnomusicologist, Dr Barbara Alge to develop teaching modules and research. During that time she and Barbara worked with music students on a Soundscapes field research project in Rostock. This culminated in a body of material, which can be found on the Soundscapes Rostock website and presented in the form of a public exhibition in Rostock in March 2011.