Jack Lee wins $3k Maxville Piobaireachd Bar to Gold Medal

Maxville, Ontario – August 2, 2019 – Jack Lee was the winner of the Bar to the Gold Medal competition for previous winners of the Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada) and winners of a Highland Society of London Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering or Northern Meeting, and, with it, $3,000 – possibly the largest cash prize awarded in non-invitational solo piping history.

Earlier in the day of competitions, also held at the St. Michael’s & All Angels Church, Matt MacIsaac of Stayner, Ontario, won the Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada) against 11 other contestants. The competition was limited to 15 pipers.

Additional sponsorship of the competitions was from the Clan Donald Land Trust of Scotland. The organization also sponsors the Clan Donald Invitational piping competition in Skye, which offers about twice the total prize purse.

For the Bar event, contestants had to submit tunes from the list prescribed by the Piobaireachd Society for the Clasp at Inverness and the Senior Piobaireachd at Oban. Competitors in the Gold Medal submitted piobaireachds set for the Highland Society of London Gold Medals.

Bar to the Medal
1st Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia, “The Daughter’s Lament” ($3,000)
2nd Derek Midgley, Tinton, Falls, New Jersey, “Donald Gruamach’s March” ($1,000)
3rd Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “The Bells of Perth” ($750)
Judges: Colin MacLellan, Jim McGillivray, Bob  Worrall

Also competing: Andrea Boyd, Toronto, “Scarce of Fishing,” Brad Davidson, Waterloo, Ontario, “Scarce of Fishing,” Jacob Dicker, Hammond, Ontario, “Lament for the Union,” Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario, “Lament for John MacDonald, Inverness,” Nick Hudson, Houston, “The Edinburgh Piobaireachd,” Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario, “The Daughter’s Lament,” James MacHattie, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, “The Finger Lock,” and Andy Rogers, Fredericton, New Brunswick, “Lament for the Union”

Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada)
1st Matt MacIsaac, “The Old Men of the Shells” ($700)
2nd Bobby Durning, Salem, Massachusetts, “The Rout of Glenfruin”($500)
3rd Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC, “The Old Men of the Shells” ($300)
4th Tyler Johnson, Oak Park, Michigam, “The Blind Piper’s Obstinacy” ($200)
5th Tyler Bridge, Guelph, Ontario, “The Rout of Glenfruin” ($100)
Judges: Colin MacLellan, Jim Stack, Bob Worrall.

Also competing: Aidan Bowen, Pickering, Ontario, “The End of the Great Bridge,” Alan Clark, Finch, Ontario, “MacLeod of MacLeod’s Lament,” Brendan Culver, Barrie, Ontario, “The End of the Great Bridge,” Teddy Krogh, Anchorage, Alaska, “The Earl of Seaforth’s Salute,” Dan Lyden, Baltimore, “Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert’s Fancy,” Alastair, Murray, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, “The Earl of Seaforth’s Salute,” Dylan Whittemore, Kitchener, Ontario, “The Blind Piper’s Obstinacy.”

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