Broadcaster takes up Arts residency

Broadcaster and traditional singer Frieda Morrison is to promote Scots language and song through a new post created by the University of Edinburgh.

The Artist in Residence post coincides with the ten-year anniversary of the publication of the eight volumes of The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection (1981-2002), Scotland's most extensive historical collection of Scots ballads and songs.

As part of the residency, Frieda will help to introduce some of the songs from the collection to schools and other groups via workshops and performances.

Frieda Morrison - best known for hosting the BBC programme Out of Doors - has gained recognition for her features and documentaries on both radio and television - including a 'Green Bafta' and a New York Radio Award.

Frieda's most recent album Morven is a compilation of ten of her own songs from her last two albums Troubled Fields and Flying by the Sun. It has been highly commended in the music press.

Her appointment will be based in Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh, the home of the School of Scottish Studies Archives.

The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection (1981-2002) brings together the songs gathered by two important collectors, Gavin Greig and the Reverend James Bruce Duncan, who were based in the North East of Scotland in the early years of the twentieth century. The collection is a treasure trove of the songs of the North East.

Frieda Morrison said: "I am delighted and honoured to be invited to take on the role. This is a huge responsibility but it is also an opportunity to forge new relationships and ideas that will further the appreciation of the Scots language and culture through a unique collection of songs."

Frieda Morrison will perform at the University of Edinburgh's annual St Andrew's Night concert.