2021 Gordon Duncan Memorial goes to Lincoln Hilton

Lincoln Hilton of Melbourne, Australia, was the overall winner of the Gordon Duncan Memorial Solo Piping Competition, held online as part of the final day of Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping events.

Hilton was the winner of both the Breton and Irish music components of the competition, and Scotland’s Ross Ainslie was the winner of the Scottish music section.

The contest goes back to the 1980s and the Interceltic Music Festival in Lorient, Brittany, where the multi-event format was put together to come up with the greatest overall exponent of each type of music as played on the Highland pipes.

The late great composer and piper Gordon Duncan was a frequent competitor and winner of the competition, and some years ago the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust took on the competition as a way to commemorate Duncan, as well as draw attention to its fundraising initiatives.

During the online broadcast of the pre-recorded performances, emcee Gary West revealed that the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust has to date raised more than £100,000, all going to worthy related causes like pipe bands, registered charities and individuals deserving of a leg up.

Also competing were Xavier Boderiou of Brittany and Scott Wallace from Northern Ireland. The performances were judged by an international panel of undisclosed judges.

You can watch or re-watch the Gordon Duncan Memorial and other Piping Live! events here, in pay-per-view format.