WHAT WE DO
The Friends of the Elphinstone Institute support the work of the Elphinstone Institute, a centre for the study, promotion, and celebration of Northern Scottish culture and traditions based at the University of Aberdeen.
-
We support the Elphinstone Institute’s work and objectives in studying, recording, and promoting the cultural traditions and languages of communities across the North of Scotland.
-
We help to establish closer links between the Elphinstone Institute and communities across the North of Scotland.
-
We help the Elphinstone Institute raise funds to support its activities and projects through seed funding, grant proposals, events, and volunteering.
-
The Friends of Elphinstone Institute assist the Ephinstone Institute with administering legacy donations.
Past legacies have included funds and donations from the estates of Charlie Allan, Bill Nicolaisen and Forbes Hurry.
SUPPORTED PROJECTS
-
The North Atlantic Fiddle Convention
BI-ANNUALLY (June 2026)
Bringing together some of the world’s top musicians, dancers, and academics to perform and discuss the rich fiddle and dance traditions that have developed around the North Atlantic seaboard.
-
Cullerlie Traditional singing weekend
ANNUALLY (July)
A gathering of outstanding traditional singers from Scotland, England, and Ireland at Cullerlie Farm Park in Aberdeenshire. The event is especially for those who like to hear, enjoy, and join in unaccompanied traditional singing.
-
Button Boxes & Moothies Festival
EVERY 4 YEARS
A festival in Aberdeen celebrating the lesser-known and often overlooked small free reed instruments including button boxes, mouth organs, concertinas, melodeons and jews harps. The weekend features numerous workshops, concerts, ‘come and try’ events, music sessions and displays.
-
Alex Green Tin Whistle Festival
MARCH 2024
A festival celebrating the important musical legacy of much-loved North-East tin whistle virtuoso, Alex Green (1930-2017). An inspiring weekend of multi-instrumental traditional music bringing together some of the most highly regarded tin whistle players from Scotland and beyond.
-
Aberdeen & Beyond Storytelling Festival
Aberdeen & Beyond Storytelling Festival
-
Polish-Scottish Song Group
TWICE MONTHLY
A prominent community group run by the Elphinstone Institute together with Polish community members. The group was founded in 2011 and blends traditional music from both Scotland and Poland, bringing people together to sing in a welcoming, intergenerational, and intercultural setting.
-
FIDDLE AND BALLAD BUSES
Annually
Explore the North-East with well-known fiddle and ballad connections, on the Friends of the Elphinstone Institute Fiddle and Ballad buses. Taking place occasionally through the year.
-
The Cree Fiddlers of James Bay Exhibition
2012, 2025, 2026
Explore a photographic exhibition by Frances Wilkins, ‘The Cree Fiddlers of James Bay’, and learn more about the musicians and dancers of the region. The exhibition toured in Aberdeen, Derry and Wemindji (Québec) in 2012 and Skye and Lochalsh in 2025/2026.
-
Elphinstone Institute open evenings
Annually
An informal evening held at the Elphinstone Institute with staff, students, and friends. Welcome to all, visitors can enjoy refreshments, join in with some songs or tunes, and listen to interesting short talks about all of the excellent work that takes place at the Institute and in the wider community.
-
Public Lecture Series
MONTHLY
The Elphinstone Institute Public Lecture Series will take place monthly at 6:30pm, in the MacRobert Building MR051.
-
Nicolaisen Memorial Symposium
JULY 2017
The W. F. H. Nicolaisen Memorial Symposium was in memory of much-missed Emeritus Professor W. F. H. Nicolaisen (1927-2016). The international conference ran for three days and was devoted to three key themes in Nicolaisens's work: Names, Narrative, and Ballads.
-
Early-Career Researchers Conference
2014, 2023
The Folklore, Ethnology and Ethnomusicology Conference Aberdeen was founded at the Elphinstone Institute in 2014 as a meeting place for early-career researchers across disciplines to connect and share their ideas in a welcoming and inclusive format.
-
Elphinstone Institute Archives
Stanley Robertson archiving project
Ukrainian Refugees project
The Elphinstone Institute Archives holds over 3500 items, the bulk of which is made up of audio and video recordings totalling over 5000 hours. Also contained in the archives are photographs, digital scans of manuscripts, and questionnaires.
-
The Nicolaisen Library
Est 1997
In 1997, Emeritus Professor W. F. H. Nicolaisen (1927-2016) gifted his considerable personal library to the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen. This is due to be integrated with the existing Buchan Library to create a research centre in Scottish ethnology.
-
The Buchan Library
Est 1994
The Buchan Library is named after the Elphinstone’s first director, David Buchan who sadly passed away before being able to take up the post. His library was generously bequeathed to the Elphinstone Institute in 1994. The Buchan Library is now a vital part of the University of Aberdeen's Folklore collection.
-
Toulmin Prize
ANNUALLY (SEPTEMBER)
The Toulmin Prize, established in 2008 and awarded annually, is a short-story prize commemorating the work of one of North-East Scotland's finest exponents of written Doric.
-
Doric Anthology
2023
We were pleased to support a project to curate a North-East Scots/Doric anthology of new writing, a collaboration between Jo Gilbert, The Friends of Elphinstone, and the Elphinstone Institute which was funded by Aberdeen City Council Creative Funding.
-
Boaties Craft Residencies
ANNUALLY (August)
'The Boaties' Craft Residency in Peterhead aims to raise awareness of the fascinating craft of model sailing boat building, and introduce children and young people to the skill of ‘boatie’ making.
MLItt Field School, Scottish Borders, 2016.