Ten top amateurs confirmed for 2021 online Sherriff Memorial

Shortly after announcing that the George Sherriff Memorial Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Competition will return in November 2021 as an online event, organizers confirmed the 10 pipers who have accepted their invitation:

• Jessica Bain, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (ACPBA)
• Callum Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia (BCPA)
• Sean Buchta, Tampa (EUSPBA)
• Zippa Curiskis, St. Paul (MWPBA)
• Trevor DeMass, Murray, Utah (WUSPBA)
• Mark McClennan, Guelph, Ontario (PPBSO)
• Stuart Marshall, Greensboro, North Carolina (EUSPBA)
• Charles-David Mitchell, Kingston, Ontario (PPBSO)
• Andrew Prioli, Cranston, Rhode Island (EUSPBA)
• Caleb Thibodeau, Toronto (PPBSO)

The 25th staging of the event will see pipers submit recorded video of their performances in Piobaireachd, MSR and 6/8 Marches events. Invitations this year were decided by an assessment of 2021 competition results for Grade 1 solo amateur players from North America. The number of contestants from various areas is designed to reflect the size of the region’s piping and drumming scene.

Pipers are to be notified of their musical assignments based on their entries on October 22nd, and then have a week to submit recordings. Results will be announced in a live social media broadcast on November 20th.

Judges will be Chris Armstrong and Richard Parkes for the light music events and Bruce Gandy and John Wilson for the Piobaireachd competition.

McCallum Bagpipes of Kilmarnock, Scotland, are donating an engraved set of MacRae pipes for the overall champion, and Scotland’s Piobaireachd Society is contributing a silver kilt pin to the winner of the Piobaireachd. Other sponsors include R.G. Hardie & Co., Reelpipes.com, Scotts Highland Services, and Lee & Sons Bagpipes.

The competition is named for George Sherriff, a native of Scotland but a long time resident of Hamilton, Ontario, who taught dozens of young pipers in the area.

The event is organized by a group of volunteers, and underwritten in part by the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario.