Inverness Day 1: Innes Smith strikes Gold; Callum Beaumont takes Silver Star; Matt Pantaleoni wins Silver Medal; Craig Sutherland A MSR

Inverness, Scotland – August 31, 2023 – The first day of the biggest solo piping competition in the world once again is at the Northern Meeting at Eden Court Theatre on the banks of the River Ness in the capital of the Highlands.

Innes Smith of Bridge of Allan, Scotland, won the Highland Society of London Gold Medal, while Matt Pantaleoni became the second piper from St. Louis to win the Silver Medal. Later it was announced that Craig Sutherland of Perth, Scotland, won the A-Grade MSR.

Smith can now compete in the Clasp and the Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering, Pantaleoni gets a pass to compete in the 2024 Highland Society of London Gold Medal competitions at Inverness and Oban, and Sutherland qualifies to play in the Silver Star MSR at the Northern Meeting.

At night, Callum Beaumont of St. Andrews, Scotland, won the Silver Star Former Winners MSR.

[Check out the orders of play for all the events at Inverness here.]

The competition is the sister event to the Argyllshire Gathering at Oban, this year held August 23-24. (See complete Oban results from Day 1 and Day 2)

Callum Beaumont and Innes Smith join Alex Gandy (Oban Former Winners MSR), Bruce Gandy (2022 Bratach Gorm, 2023 Masters), Alasdair Henderson (2023 Oban Gold Medal), Angus D. MacColl (Oban Senior Piobaireachd), Willie McCallum (2022 Glenfiddich Champion and Fred Morrison (2022 overall champion at London) as invitees to the 2024 Glenfiddich Championships on October 28th in Blair Atholl, Scotland.

Of note, Innes Smith plays the pipes that the great Pipe-Major Donald MacLeod MBE played throughout his career.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for more results from the 2023 Northern Meeting as they become available.

Highland Society of London Gold Medal (25 competed, pipers submit four tunes from a set list and the judges pick one that the contestant did not play at the Argyllshire Gathering)
1st Innes Smith, “Sobieski’s Salute”
2nd Willie Rowe, New Zealand, “The Menzies’ Salute”
3rd Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland, “The Rout of the Lowland Captain”
4th Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, “The Menzies’ Salute”
5th Sarah Muir, East Kilbride, Scotland, “Abercairney’s Salute”
Judges: Patricia Henderson, Dr. Angus MacDonald, Malcolm McRae

Also competing: Andrea Boyd, Ottawa; Sandy Cameron, Roybridge, Scotland; Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh; Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC; Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh; James Duncan Mackenzie, Back, Scotland; Ben Duncan, Edinburgh; Stuart Easton; Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; William Geddes, Glasgow; Angus J. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland; Steven Leask, Glasgow; Alastair Lee, Surrey, British Columbia; Cameron MacDougall, Nigg, Scotland; Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC; Sean McKeown, Toronto; Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey; John Mulhearn, Carluke, Scotland; Craig Sutherland; Darach Urquhart, Glasgow; and Calum Watson, Edinburgh

Silver Medal (24 competed, pipers submit four tunes from a set list, and the judges pick one that the contestant did not play at the Argyllshire Gathering)
1st Matt Pantaleoni, “Fair Honey”
2nd Anna Kummerlow, Germany, “Fair Honey”
3rd Cameron May, Lesmahagow, Scotland, “Lament for Finlay”
4th Bobby Durning, Carrollton, Texas, “Nameless, Hihorodo tra cherede che”
5th John MacDonald, Aberdeen, “Weighing from Land”
Judges: Bruce Hitchings, Roddy Livingstone, Niall Matheson

Also competing: Ruairidh Brown, Dunblane, Scotland; Calum Brown, Peterculter, Scotland; Greig Canning, Kirkcaldy, Scotland; John Dew, Glasgow; Jacob Dicker, Ottawa; Jamie Elder, Auchtermuchty, Scotland; Andrew Ferguson, Dollar, Scotland; Edward Gaul, Dundee, Scotland; Steven Gray, Lockerbie, Scotland; Eireann Iannetta-Mackay, Burrelton, Scotland; Zephan Knickel, Surrey, British Columba; Anna Kummerlow, Germany; Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland; John MacDonald, Aberdeen, Scotland; Angus MacPhee, Inverness, Scotland; James McHattie, Summerside, Prince Edward Island; Edward McIlwaine, Vancouver; Ben Mulhearn, Troon, Scotland; Bradley Parker, Milngavie, Scotland; Brodie Watson-Massie, Edinburgh; and  Callum Wynd, Dunblane, Scotland.

A-Grade March, Strathspey & Reel (39 competed, for those graded A in light music by the CPA)
1st Craig Sutherland, “MacLean of Pennycross,” “The Islay Ball,” “John MacKechnie”
2nd Angus J. MacColl, Oban, Scotland
3rd Calum Brown, Petercoulter, Scotland
4th Derek Midgley
5th Sean McKeown
Judges: Ian Duncan, Bill Wotherspoon, Robert Wallace

Also competing: Andrea Boyd; Glenn Brown; Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, Scotland; Greig Canning; Andrew Carlisle; Gordon Conn, Calgary; Seumas Coyne, Los Angeles; James Duncan MacKenzie; Stuart Easton; Michael Fitzhenry, London; Jamie Forrester; William Geddes; Steven Gray; Jonathan Greenlees, Glasgow; Jenny Hazzard, Edinburgh; Nick Hudson; Liam Kernaghan, Wellington; Steven Leask; Alastair Lee; Cameron MacDougall; James MacHattie; Ben McClamrock; Peter McGregor, Dunfermline, Scotland; Ashley McMichael, Northern Ireland; Callum Moffat; Sarah Muir; John Mulhearn; Ciaren Ross, Clackmannan, Scotland; Willie Rowe; Connor Sinclair; Neil Smith; Innes Smith; Craig Sutherland; Darach Urquhart; and Calum Watson.

Silver Star Former Winners March, Strathspey & Reel (submit six of each tune type, judges choose two of each genre to play once through)
1st Callum Beaumont, St. Andrews, Scotland, “The Ross-shire Volunteers,” “The Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society,” Inveraray Castle,” “Tulloch Castle,” “Fiona MacLeod,” “Ca’ the Ewes”
2nd Finlay Johnston, Glasgow
3rd Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland, “Angus Campbell’s Farewell to Stirling,” “The Crags of Stirling,” “Shepherd’s Crook,” “Dora MacLeod,” “Roddy MacDonald’s Fancy,” “John MacKechnie’s Big Reel”
4th Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “Tiroran,” “Jimmy Young,” “The Ewe wi’ the Crookit Horn,” “John Roy Stewart,” “Neil Angus MacDonald,” “Drumlithie”
5th Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland
Judges: Robert Barnes, Murray Henderson, Iain MacFadyen

Also competing: Chris Armstrong; Brian Donaldson; Cameron Drummond; Ben Duncan; Bruce Gandy; Andrew Hayes; Alasdair Henderson; Jack Lee; Ian K. MacDonald; Roddy MacLeod; Donald MacPhee; Fred Morrison; Ian Speirs; Niall Stewart; and Greg Wilson.