Researcher
Music | Ethnomusicology | Organology | Design
Searching & (re)searching
I am a musician, instrument maker, and researcher working at the intersection of music, ethnomusicology, organology, and design.
For over twenty years, my work has combined historical research, fieldwork, instrument study, workshop-based experimentation, and musical performance, with a focus on bagpipes and related traditions across Atlantic Europe and the Baltic Sea region.
My research approach is practice-based and design-led. Instruments are not treated as abstract historical objects, but as tools shaped through use, performance, and material experimentation.
I hold a Master’s degree in Architecture and am completing a doctoral degree in Music at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.
Research Context: Finland and the Baltic Sea
Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, have managed to bring back alive their own piping traditions.
Why hasn’t Finland done the same yet?
A Laboratory in Helsinki
I am based in Helsinki, where I maintain a workshop and research environment combining instrument making, measurement, prototyping, and performance.
This laboratory-based practice allows historical research and material experimentation to feed directly into the construction of high-quality instruments for professional use, which forms the core of my research methodology.
Finnish Bagpipe Research
Sibelius Academy • University of the Arts Helsinki
The Redesign of the Säkkipilli in Finland
My doctoral research focuses on the Finnish Säkkipilli and questions the widespread assumption that Finland lacks a bagpipe tradition.
Drawing on archaeological evidence, historical sources, museum collections, and comparative study across the Baltic Sea region, this work reframes the Säkkipilli as part of a broader Northern and Baltic piping ecology.
A central outcome of this research has been the redesign and construction of playable Säkkipilli instruments, developed for contemporary musicians and performance contexts.
From Finnd’it to Säkkipilli
Finnd’it.org was established as a public-facing research initiative to support the documentation and surveying of historical evidence related to the Säkkipilli and Finnish piping traditions.
Originally conceived as an open framework connecting musicians, researchers, institutions, and citizens, the initiative encouraged the sharing of findings and international exchange across the Baltic region.
This work is now being developed into Säkkipilli.org, a dedicated platform for the documentation, research, redesign, and contemporary practice of the Finnish bagpipe.
Collaborations
My research work often develops through collaboration with musicians, institutions, museums, and academic or artistic partners.
I am open to research collaboration, institutional projects, and long-term initiatives related to instrument research, design-led inquiry, and performance-based knowledge.
Featuring now
The latest news about my research work
6th International Bagpipes Conference
The bagpipe society has been organising these conferences for the past 6 years. It was, however, my first opportunity to attend. Many of the people I have met here I knew of - Some over the...
Bagpipe Museum, in Morpeth, UK
In the small, charming town of Morpeth, Northumberland, UK, there is the most wonderful bagpipe museum. I was extremely fortunate to be assisting Zexuan Qiao in his research on Border Pipes....
St. Cecilia’s Hall Music Museum, Edinburgh
My first time in Scotland could not have been more special. I was shown around town by two people that knew it well - Simon Waters (PhD.) and Zexuan Qiao (PhD.c) Sonic Arts Research Center - The Queen's University of Belfast. Edinburgh is a very very special city....
Address
Helsinki – Finland
Call
+358 45 251 87 27
Info@GoncaloCruz.com