PPBSO composing contest extended four months

The Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario has extended the deadline for its composing competition four months, moving the original deadline of July 18th to November 15th.

Saying that it had “heard from the composing community,” the organization hopes to attract more submissions from piping and drumming music creators who would vie for cash and merchandise prizes, as well as the honour of having their composition played at Ontario games’ massed bands throughout the 2022 season.

The competition coincides with the organization’s 75th anniversary year in 2022.

PipeTunes.ca is putting up a total prize purse of $1,450 for three winning four-part 2/4 marches, including the first-prize of of $1,000.

A separate competition for a 4/4 march will award a silver engraved practice chanter from McCallum Bagpipes and a one-year membership with the PPBSO.

(Disclosure: both PipeTunes.ca and McCallum Bagpipes are long-time advertisers with pipes|drums.)

The 2/4 march category is open to anyone, while composers submitting two-part 4/4 marches must be a PPBSO member “in good standing.” Music creators have to give their entries a name that somehow references the 75th anniversary.

Both contests are to be judged by Ontario piping luminaries Bill Livingstone and Bob Worrall, who are themselves well-played composers.

A significant silver lining to the 18-month pandemic crisis has been an explosion of creativity across piping and drumming and the music industry in general. When public in-person performance is more widely possible, it is anticipated that pipe bands in particular will be ready with inventive new approaches to their music.

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