Stuart Liddell MBE: Inveraray piper receives award in King’s 2023 New Year Honours

The Grade 1 Inveraray & District pipe-major, elite solo piper and world renowned teacher was officially bestowed with the award “for services to piping and music education.”

Liddell helped to start the hugely successful Inveraray teaching program, taking Inveraray & District from a fledgling Novice Juvenile band to Grade 1 in little more than eight years. The band won its first World Championship in 2017 and repeated in 2019.

He is in demand as a teacher both locally and globally, and he has won every major solo piping prize there is, often several times over.

Donald Armstrong of Dingwall, Scotland, received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to teaching piping in that community.

I’m a wee bit shocked and of course thrilled. – Stuart Liddell

The MBE is awarded for outstanding, long-term, significant impact achievement for service to a community. A BEM is granted in recognition of meritorious civil or military service.

The awards were announced on the evening of December 30th and Stuart Liddell said only an hour or so after learning of the accolade, “I’m a wee bit shocked and of course thrilled.”

Liddell and Armstrong are the most recent pipers, drummers and non-playing contributors to the art to receive an honour from the royal family. Other MBE and BEM recipients over the years include Tom Brown, Jeannie Campbell, Hugh Cheape, Mervyn Herron, Jim Kilpatrick, Iain MacFadyen, Donald MacLeod, Roddy MacLeod, Capt. John A. MacLellan, Richard Parkes, Stuart Samson and Gavin Stoddart.

Be sure to read and view the five-part 2017 pipes|drums Interview with Stuart Liddell (links below).

Other famous folks named in the King’s New Year Honours include guitarist and songwriter Brian May of Queen, fashion designer Mary Quant, TV personality and philanthropist Rachel Riley, opera star Christine Rice, and English Women’s Football team captain Leah Williamson.

Congratulations to Stuart Liddell and Donald Armstrong for the deserved official recognition of their contributions to their community and piping and drumming worldwide.