Simon Fraser University to stage 2023 Pre-World’s ‘Generations’ Concert at the SEC Armadillo

The Grade 1 Simon Fraser University Pipe Band will take stage on August 16th for the annual Pre-World’s Concert, the biggest non-competition performance event on the piping and drumming calendar, this year at the 3,000-seat SEC Armadillo in Glasgow due to extensive renovations occurring at the normal Glasgow Royal Concert Hall venue.

Thought details are yet to be revealed, the show is called “Generations,” which speaks to the numerous examples of sons and daughters or SFU members who now play in the band, including those in former Pipe-Major Terry Lee, current Pipe-Major Alan Bevan, Pipe-Sergeant Jack Lee, Leading drummer Reid Maxell and the late Andrew Bonar, who’s son Cameron is one of the fastest rising stars in the piping world.

It will be the fifth time that the six-time World Champions have been invited to mount the show, which typically sells out the GRCH theatre that has been the annual venue for most of the concerts put on by the Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band since the mid-1990s. The band’s 2015 “Nous Sommes Prêtes / We Are Ready” concert of 2015 is heralded as one of the best ever. The original concerts were staged in Motherwell, Scotland.

SFU finished sixth overall at the 2022, with the band’s drum section taking the World Pipe Band Drumming title. The Pre-World’s Concert is often seen as beneficial for bands competing a few days later.

“The band and I are very excited to be taking the stage again for the Pre-Worlds Concert this August,” SFU Pipe-Major Alan Bevan said in a statement. ” This will mark our fifth time playing the concert, with the last time being 2015. It’s a wonderful experience to perform in a world-class venue and share our music with such a large audience of our peers. We pride ourselves on our ability to put on a great show that has something for everyone. This year’s concert will be entitled ‘Generations,’ which fits so well with the history and culture of SFU. We look forward to revealing more details about the concert in the coming weeks.”

“I would like to thank Alan, Jack and the band for their patience over the past few years,” said Kurt Mackintosh of Glasgow Skye. “When we had to cancel the 2020 Inveraray concert due to Covid, SFU were all lined up to take centre stage in 2021. We have kept in touch, and they have very patiently and graciously worked with us so I am absolutely delighted that we can eventually get them back over to headline our Pre-Worlds concert in 2023.”

In addition to multiple performances at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, SFU has staged major concerts and recordings at some of the world’s most famous concert venues, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Sydney Opera House, and Massey Hall in Toronto.

Last year, then reigning World Champions Inveraray & District handled the concert with the band’s “A Night in That Land” show that had been delayed for two years due to the pandemic.

Tickets, priced at £31.25, will go on sale from Monday, March 6, at 5pm UK time, and are available directly from the SEC or Ticketmaster UK.

While not officially part of the Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping, Glasgow Skye’s annual Pre-World’s Concert was a precursor to the week-long event, capitalizing on pipers and drummers and bands travelling to Glasgow to compete at the World Championships.

The Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band has undergone a significant leadership change, with Pipe-Major Kenny MacLeod returning to the post, and new Leading-Drummer Les Galbraith. The band is reportedly working hard with an all-new lineup of members and is confident that it compete in 2023 after having to sit out the 2022 season.