Kayleigh Johnstone, Nicholas Moore: 2019 Balmoral Classic champions

Pittsburgh – November 16, 2019 – Kayleigh Johnstone of Aurora, Ontario, was the overall solo piping winner, and Nicholas Moore of Cleveland won the solo snare drumming, at the annual “Balmoral Classic” U.S. Junior Solo Piping & Drumming Championships open to solo players 21 or younger.

For their successes, Johnstone received a set of Duncan MacRae pipes and Moore was presented with a Premier snare drum.

Coincidentally, Johnstone’s older brother, Colin, was the overall winner of the George Sherriff Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Competition held on the same day in Hamilton, Ontario. Both siblings compete in the highest amateur grades on the Ontario circuit.

The competition was held at the Frick Fine Arts Building at the University of Pittsburgh, and run by the Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming, a registered non-profit educational organization founded in 1979.

Piping (12 competed)
Piobaireachd
1st Kayleigh Johnstone
2nd Duncan Winters
3rd Sebastian Benedetto
4th Alexandra Knox
5th Gemma Briggs
6th Kate Runciman
Judges: Ian Duncan, Bruce Gandy, Lezlie Webster

MSR
1st Kayleigh Johnstone
2nd Robert Dunn
3rd Duncan Winters
4th Sebastian Benedetto
5th Harrison Little
6th Alexandra Knox
Judges: Ian Duncan, Bruce Gandy, Lezlie Webster

Snare Drumming
MSR
1st Nicholas Moore, Cleveland
2nd Jeremy Whitney, Rockville, Maryland
3rd Andrew MacNamara, Laurel, Maryland
Judges: Gordon Bell, Jon Quigg

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Jeremiah Whitney
2nd Nicholas Moore
3rd Andrew McNamara
Judges: Gordon Bell, Jon Quigg

Ian Duncan conducted a piobaireachd workshop the next morning.

Related

Colin Johnstone: 2019 Sherriff Amateur Champion
November 17, 2019

Balmoral Classic opens entries to Under-22 pipers and drummers
September 19, 2019

Bonus of Balmoral: free lessons for novice registrants at summer school
April 13, 2018