Bruce Gandy wins his seventh 2023 US Piping Foundation Championship

Newark, Delaware – December 10, 2023 – While many pipers were competing in Northern Ireland, Ontario and British Columbia, Bruce Gandy of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and 24 others were busy at the 2023 United States Amateur and Professional Piping Championships at the Amy DuPont Music Building at the University of Delaware.

Ultimately, it was Gandy who won the overall Professional title for the seventh time in his career and, with it, prize money, the USPF Silver Buckle, trans-Atlantic airfare from the east coast to Glasgow, Edinburgh, or London, UK, to compete at eligible senior competitions, and eligibility to compete at the MacCrimmon Competition at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany.

Professional
St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia Silver Quaich
Piobaireachd (submit six tunes, play one)
1st Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, “The MacLeans’ March” (US$1,000)
2nd Bruce Gandy, “MacLeod of Colbeck’s Lament” ($800)
3rd Nick Hudson,, Houston, “The Daughter’s Lament” ($600)
4th Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC, “Lament for the Dead” ($400)
5th Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC, “Craigellachie” ($200)
Judges: Alan Forbes, Jack Lee

St. Andrew’s Society of Baltimore Silver Charger Professional
MSR (submitted six of each type of tune, and played a set twice through)
1st Nick Hudson, “Verna Leith’s Wedding March,” “Kirstie McCallman’s
Favourite,” “Neil Angus MacDonald”
2nd Bruce Gandy, “Dugald MacColl’s Farewell to France,” “Lady
MacKenzie of Gairloch,” “Stornoway Castle”
3rd Ben McClamrock, “MacLean of Pennycross,” “Sabhal Mor Ostaig,”
“Alick Cameron, Champion Piper”
4th Andrew Donlon, “The Lonach Gathering,” “The Islay Ball,” “The Grey Bob”
5th Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh, “Kantara to El Arish,” “Inverary
Castle,” “Dr. MacPhail’s Reel”
Judges: Paula Glendinning, Jim Wilson

Thomas Cangelosi of Arlington, Virginia, took the aggregate amateur award. He received the
USPF Silver Buckle and round trip airfare to Scotland and two weeks’ tuition at an approved venue in Scotland.

Amateur
Piobaireachd
1st Thomas Cangelosi, “My King Has Landed in Moidart”
2nd William Shropshire, Durham, North Carolina, “The Desperate Battle”
3rd Elizabeth Knox, Woodbine, Maryland, “The Old Men of the Shells” (No. 1
4th Adam Blaine, Santa Clara, California, “Lament for the Children”
5th Jean-Sebastien Gamache, Ottawa, “The Prince’s Salute”

Seumas MacNeill Silver Quaich Amateur MSR
1st Jean-Sebastien Gamache, “Inveran,” “Maggie Cameron,” “The Cockerel
in the Creel”
2nd William Shropshire, “Arthur Bignold of Lochrosque,” “Duncan
Lamont,” “The Sound of Sleat”
3rd Thomas Cangelosi, “The Taking of Beaumont Hamel,” “The Doune of
Invernochty,” “Donald MacLean”
4th Alexandra Knox, Woodbine, Maryland, “The Stirlingshire Militia,” “P-M
Hector MacLean,” “Lieutenant-Colonel D.J.S. Murray”
5th Elizabeth Knox, “Major Manson at Clachantrushal,” “Tulloch
Castle,” “Major David Manson”