Piping Live! up for three Scottish Event Awards
Piping Live!, the biggest event of the piping and drumming year, has once again been recognized by the Scottish Event Awards, gaining nominations in three categories – Best Large Event, Best Cultural Event and Best Traditional Event. Piping Live! is in good company, with other nominees including the Open Championship and the pop music industry’s MOBO Awards.
“We are delighted to be finalists for three categories in this year’s Scottish Events Awards,” said Roddy MacLeod, director of Piping Live! “It’s great news for the festival, now approaching its seventh year, and for the traditional music scene it celebrates. Fingers crossed!”
In an official release, the Scottish Event Awards described Piping Live! as an event that “attracts a diverse audience for the week-long musical party.”
The Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival made its debut in 2003, taking advantage of the influx of pipers and drummers and their family and friends visiting Glasgow for the World Pipe Band Championships. Before Piping Live!, members of non-UK bands would spend five or more days with little more to do than practice and anxiously await the competition.
The winners will be announced on September 9, 2010, at a gala at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, which has recently had a £20m refurbishment.
Last year the Haddington Pipe Band of Scotland received a 2009 Scottish Event Award for the organization of the Pipe Idol and Massed Band Parades in March and April of 2009, which resulted in an official pipe-tune composed and named for the East Lothian area.
In a way it’s a compete nightmare of a thing. Take the Monday afternoon/evening for instance. There are 26 things I want to go to. Impossible-so ok, cut out things I’ve already done- Tour of the Bagpipe Museum, Come and Try, Pipe Maintenance, and that leaves 23. I can live without the Fine Ales event and the Whisky Display -21. As I’m working the next day early, the Opening Concert and the Piping on the Clyde evening event can go- 19. As can Daimh at 10pm at the Piping Centre-18. Ok, the Gaelic Taster session can probably go, and the Art Exhibition will likely be there all week so that can go too-16. Phew! slightly more manageable. I could sit and watch Piping related films at 11, 2.30 and 4pm, but in the grand scale of things I think I’d rather be out and about. -13. It’s now coming down to venues and what’s where. I’d love to hear the Piob of the Day at the COP but its the only thing there I’d be at and would be missing something else travelling to the next venue-12.Ditto with Seudan at the CCA-11. (Actually all the venues are close together but it still takes 10 mins). I’m now thinking venues- NPC where there is a Pipe Idol contest, a talk by Bruce Campbell on Aspects of MacCrimmon Piobaireachd, a Street Cafe with LA Scots and others, and a Stuart Liddell recital. OR I could go to George Square and see Julian Goodacre on Bagpipes of the World, and Fraser Fifield a bit later. The NPC is jam packed with things happening both inside and out so that’s edging ahead. Of course you could dart between venues. But guess what, when all’s said and done, I’m going to choose St Andrews in the Square. The Pipe Band Club, New Westminster Police Pipe Band, City of Regina PB, and Boghall and Bathgate Novice Juvenile Pipe Band are all there, and for me this is what Piping Live is all about – the international contribution, the bringing together of people from, literally, all over the world, to make it the totally fabulous piping and drumming event it is. Ok,Tuesday………….
I would have to think that due to the open nature of this event, that it should be a hands down winner every year. Does the MOBO? attract large groups from all over the world to Scotland, year after year? If it doesn’t, than there should be no question that Piping Live is the premier event in Scotland!