Aussies take both Balmoral Classic prizes

The Internet – November 14-15, 2020 – Normally staged live in Pittsburgh, David Stulpner of Perth, Australia, and Thomas Carruthers of Canberra, Australia, were the respective overall winners of the piping and snare drumming events at the 14th Annual Balmoral Classic US Junior Solo Piping & Drumming Championships, this year held via YouTube videos submitted over two days. For his success, Stulpner received the Ralph & Patricia Murray Memorial Award for two weeks at a 2021 Balmoral Summer session of his choice and a set of MacRae pipes from McCallum Bagpipes. Carruthers got the David L. Peet Memorial Award and a Premier HTS-800 Premier Snare Drum donated by Henderson Imports. The event allowed drummers to play to recorded piping accompaniment.

Piping
Piobaireachd (The Balmoral Award)
1st David Stulpner, “Corrienessen’s Salute”
2nd Gillian Blaney, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, “The Battle of Waternish”
3rd Katherine Miller, Safety Harbor, Florida, “Lament for Captain MacDougall”
4th Hugo MacKay, Redmond, Washington, “Beloved Scotland”
5th Sebastian Benedetto, Cape Neddick, Maine, “Black Donald’s March”

MSR (E.W. Littlefield Jr. Award)
1st David Stulpner, “Inveran,” “Inveraray Castle,” “Bessie MacIntyre”
2nd Katherine Miller, “The Braes of Castle Grant,” “Lady Mackenzie of Gairloch,” “The Smith of Chilliechassie”
3rd Alexandra Knox, Woodbine, Maryland, “The MacNeills’ March,” “Lady Louden,” “Roddy MacDonald’s Fancy”
4th Rhys O’Higgins, Madison, Wisconsin, “John MacColl’s March to Kilbowie Cottage,” “John Roy Stewart,” “Thompson’s Dirk”
5th Harrison Little, Fergus, “The Balmoral Highlanders,” “Susan MacLeod,” “Willie Murray’s”
Judges: Jim McGillivray, Scot Walker, Robert Wallace

Also competing: Elizabeth Knox, Woodbine, Maryland; Calum MacNeil, Dearborn, Michigan; Thomas McCollum, Deerton, Michigan; Alexandra Miller, Safety Harbor, Florida; Jacob Shelton, Golden, Colorado; Colin Swett, West Chester, Pennsylvania; and Duncan Winters, Grand Junction, Colorado.

Snare Drumming
MSR (St. Andrew’s Society of Pittsburgh Award)
1st Thomas Carruthers, “The Highland Wedding,” “Susan MacLeod,” “The Smith of Chillichassie”
2nd Cameron MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario, “The Highland Wedding,” “Bogan Lochan,” “John MacKechnie”
3rd Alec Flansburg, Rotterdam, New York, “Hugh Kennedy,” “Cabar Feidh,” “Major David Manson”
4th Rowan Brown, Middle Island, New York, “Hugh Kennedy,” “Maggie Cameron,” “Alick C. McGregor”
Judges: Gordon Bell, Jim Kilpatrick, Steven Shedden

Hornpipe & Jig (Pittsburgh Firefighters Memorial Pipe Band Award)
1st Thomas Carruthers “The Boxhill Bandit,” “The Trip to Modera”
2nd Rowan Brown, “Scots Air Hornpipe,” “Donald Cameron’s Powder Horn”
3rd Cameron MacDonald, “Lucy Cassidy,” “The Mermaid”
4th Alec Flansburg, “Chasing Shadows,” “The Kitchen Maid”
Judges: Gordon Bell, Jim Kilpatrick, Steven Shedden

The event also included a solo concert and Q&A session with Scottish fiddle virtuoso Alasdair Fraser streamed live, as well as a workshop for contestants by two of the judges.

Related

Drummers get a break at Balmoral Classic Junior Solos
October 14, 2020

Balmoral Classic US Junior Solo Piping & Drumming Championships
August 20, 2020

Balmoral School to Zoom this summer
April 30, 2020