Lee, Gandy, Brown big winners in KC

Kansas City, Missouri – January 13, 2017 – Andrew Lee and Alex Gandy were the big solo piping winners, and Blair Brown won the Professional snare drumming at the annual Midwest Highland Arts Fund Winter Storm held at the Marriott Hotel County Club Plaza. The Professional light music event had a qualifying round to determine 10 finalists. Interestingly, Lee won the piobaireachd while playing a chanter reed, a pipe bag and drones that he made himself. The competitions had a record entry.

+ Blizzard of Winter Storm events, entries

Various event sponsors included pipes|drums advertisers Cameron’s Drumming Studios, Lee & Sons Bagpipes, McCallum Bagpipes and R.G. Hardie & Co.

Solo Piping
Professional
Piobaireachd
Gold Medal
1st Andrew Lee, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
2nd Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh
3rd Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey
Judges: Callum Beaumont, Brian Donaldson

Silver Medal
1st Andrew Douglas, Rensselaer, New York
2nd Daniel Cole, Schenectady, New York
3rd Alastair Murray, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
4th Alexander Schiele, Snohomish, Washington
5th Zephan Knichel, White Rock, British Columbia
Judges: Ian K. MacDonald, Fred Morrison

MSR
1st Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
2nd Alastair Lee, Coquitlam, British Columbia
3rd Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh
4th Andrew Lee, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
5th James P. Troy, Victoria, British Columbia
Judges: Colin MacLellan, Richard Parkes

Grade 1
Piobaireachd
1st Steven MacDonald, Winter Garden, Florida
2nd Caleb Thibodeau, Tecumseh, Ontario
3rd Tony Adkins, Cary, North Carolina
Judge: Ann Gray

MSR
1st Caleb Thibodeau, St. Tecumseh, Ontario
2nd Steven MacDonald, Winter Garden, Florida
3rd Laureano Thomas-Sanchez, Parma, Ohio
Judge: Alex MacIntyre

Grade 2
Piobaireachd
1st Filemon Tan, Bellaire, Texas
2nd Charles Morris, Agoura Hills, California
3rd Kevin Darmadi, Houston
Judge: Ann Gray

MSR
1st Jack O’Connell, Hudson, New York
2nd Filemon Tan, Bellaire, Texas
3rd Charles Morris, Agoura Hills, California
Judge: Terry Lee

Grade 3
Piobaireachd
1st Thomas Stapleton, Deer Park, New York
2nd Kevin Watkins, Silver Spring, Maryland
3rd Stephen Anderson, Christiana, Tennessee
Judge: Ann Gray

MSR
1st Thomas Stapleton, Deer Park, New York
2nd Linda Robertson, Bakersfield, California
3rd Hayden Faucett, Christiana, Tennessee
Judge: Terry Lee

(Results continued next page.)