Top amateurs poised for 24th Sherriff Invitational

The 10 contestants in the 24th annual George Sherriff Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Championship have been decided, representing the usual strong array of top-grade non-professional-grade players from across North America:

• Alister Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia
• Kevin Darmadi, Houston
• Tyler Destremps, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Joseph Horwath, Saginaw, Michigan
• Colin Johnstone, Aurora, Ontario
• Stuart Marshall, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Liam Melville, Renfrew, Ontario
• Liam MacDonald, Wellesley, Ontario
• Charles Morris, Agoura Hills, California
• Blaise Theriault, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

The competition will be held on Saturday, November 16, at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario.

With few exceptions, competitors are chosen from various regions of North America based on competition results from the previous season. Areas with a higher density of competing pipers have larger representation, depending on availability.

The event consists of three events: Piobaireachd, MSR and 6/8 Marches, each with an equal weighting toward overall results.

Filemon Tan of Houston won the 2018 George Sherriff Invitational, and Bevan is a previous winner of the event.

Reflecting the format of the Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational in the eastern United States, which was started in 1985, the George Sherriff Memorial was first held in 1996, with Ryan MacDonald of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first overall winner. The competition is named after George Sherriff, a Scots emigre and prominent teacher of piping in the Niagara-Hamilton area of Ontario.

Theriault will try to make it a double after winning the Nicol-Brown in October.

The Sherriff Invitational is organized and staged by a volunteer group not associated with a piping association. An array of sponsors underwrite costs and provide prizes for competitors.

The event will be judged by Glenn Brown, Michael Grey and Jim McGillivray, and Lynda Mackay will be the emcee, with the 6/8 Marches starting at 10 am and the MSR ending around 10 pm.

A remarkable note: Brown returns to judge the event after being the overall winner as a young amateur 19 years ago. He recently won the Piobaireachd event at the 2019 Glenfiddich Championships.

Related

2019 Nicol-Brown videos: MSR prizewinners
October 14, 2019

Blaise Theriault: 2019 Nicol-Brown Amateur Champion
October 12, 2019

Filemon Tan makes it a double with Sherriff Championship
November 18, 2018