Research Seminar: Alison McGillivray

Gaelic & Scots traditional music sources – a cellist’s perspective. 

Wednesday 04 November 2026 | 13:00
Seòmar an Droma Fhearna, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

This seminar will be available live online. Register below and a Zoom link will be emailed to you on the day of the seminar.

Alison McGillivray is an internationally recognised cellist specialising in Scottish historical music. Her current research looks at how the Gaelic roots of traditional music can inform and inspire today’s practices. The viewpoint of a mid 18th century cellist is used here to examine evidence from the sources and the time period including paintings, musical notation, performance practices and the instrument itself, and how this shines new light on old and familiar tunes.

In this lecture recital, musical examples will be taken from: James Oswald’s Caledonian Pocket Companion, Book 6 (1755) and Simon Fraser’s Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles (1816)