Memory Through Melody: Celebrating sung histories

For centuries, the knowledge, memory, and experiences of different cultures have been preserved through musical storytelling traditions. From the sung ballads of 19th-century Brittany to the spoken word of UK rap and grime, these traditions have been a vital tool for preserving the stories that written records often overlook.

Join us for an evening that brings these histories to life, through a combination of expert discussion and vibrant performances. This event will explore oral traditions that span the globe, illuminating their enduring impact on our cultural heritage and understanding.

Speakers

Professor David Hopkin

Professor David Hopkin is a Professor of History at the University of Oxford, specialising in oral and cultural history. His research explores the lived experiences of ordinary people through songs, stories, and other forms of popular cultural expression. He has published extensively on the intersection of folklore and oral history, including his award-winning monograph, ‘Voices of the People in Nineteenth-Century France’.

Dr Éva Guillorel

Dr Éva Guillorel is an HDR lecturer in Modern History at the Rennes 2 University. She is trained as a historian, folklorist and Celticist, alongside being an amateur folksinger, Celtic harp and fiddle player. Her research focuses on oral traditions (especially songs) as a source for early modern history, with a focus on Western France and French North America. Eva's work in this area includes her 2017 British Academy Monograph, 'Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads'.

Performance by: Dr Éva Guillorel

Dr Razia Sultanova

Dr Razia Sultanova is a musicologist and social scientist with an international reputation. She studied and consequently worked at both the Tashkent and Moscow State Conservatories, having moved to reside in the UK in 1994 to work at the University of London. Since 2008 she has worked at the University of Cambridge.

Razia is the author of four books and five edited volumes on Central Asian and Middle Eastern music, and was recently awarded a Small Research Grant by the British Academy for her research project titled 'Songs of Resilience: Female Islamic Traditions in the Balkans', and will focus her performance on these musical traditions.

Performance by: Dr Razia Sultanova

Dr Frances Wilkins

Dr Frances Wilkins is a Senior lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, specialising in Scottish and Northern Canadian singing and instrumental traditions. Her British-Academy funded research explores the sacred singing traditions of Hebridean communities, examining their cultural, historical, and social significance. Frances is also professional musician, performing Scottish traditional music on an English concertina.

Performance by: Kristine Kennedy (Sacred singing in Gaelic)

Aniefiok Ekpoudom

Aniefiok Ekpoudom is a writer and storyteller from South London whose work documents community and culture in contemporary Britain. His work weaves social, cultural and narrative history to explore the current, lived realities of peoples across the UK. His debut book 'Where We Come From: Rap, Home and Hope in Modern Britain' is a social history of British Rap and was released by Faber & Faber in January 2024.

Performance by: TBC

Further information

Free, booking required. As tickets are free, people sometimes book and don't attend, so we have to issue more tickets than there are seats available to allow for this. Entry into the event is on a first-come, first-served basis and we recommend arriving in good time to avoid any disappointment.

This event will have live subtitles provided by 121 Captions

If you have any questions about this event please refer to our Events FAQs. If your question is not answered, please email [email protected].

Image credit: Martyn Ewoma ©