Ten Glenfiddich Championship competitors confirmed

The 10 invitees for the 2022 Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championships at Blair Atholl, Scotland, October 29th have been decided, and are the 10 that pipes|drums anticipated would get the nod by virtue of results at qualifying competitons:

• Callum Beaumont, Dollar, Scotland – overall winner at London in November 2021, second in the Oban Senior Piobaireachd, winner of the Masters.
• Glenn Brown, Glasgow – 2021 Bratach Gorm winner at London
• Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland – Argyllshire Gathering Highland Society of London Gold Medal winner
• Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia – Northern Meeting Silver Star MSR winner
• Nick Hudson, Houston – Northern Meeting Highland Society of London Gold Medal winner
• Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia – reigning Glenfiddich Champion
• Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland – second in the Silver Star Former Winners MSR at the Northern Meeting
• Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland – winner of the Clasp at the Northern Meeting and the Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering
• Fred Morrison, Bishopton, Scotland – second prize in the Northern Meeting Clasp
• Connor Sinclair, Crieff, Scotland – Oban Former Winners MSR winner

Due to several pipers winning more than one qualifying competition, the organizers went to latter prize-winners in some events. Forrester and Hudson are the only first-timers to solo piping’s pinnacle event.

It will the 49th running of the competition, originally named the Grant’s Championship. The event has always been sponsored by William Grant & Sons, and more recently by the William Grant Foundation, major contributors to several UK piping events every year.

The contest comprises two events, a Piobaireachd and an MSR, the competitor with the overall best results, with a Piobaireachd preference in the event of a tie, declared Glenfiddich Champion.

Judges for the Piobaireachd competition will be Murray Henderson, Dr. Angus Macdonald and Ronnie McShannon; and Ian Duncan, Stuart Samson and A. John Wilson for the MSR.

Of note, Willie McCallum will be going for his ninth Glenfiddich title to break his own record.

Fear An Tighe (Master of Ceremonies) will be handled again by Euan Anderson. The competition will once again be held in the Great Hall of Blair Castle, hereditary home of the Duke of Atholl.

The competition will be broadcast live on the internet once again, pay-per-view. Tickets to the livestream are £15 (about USD$17) and available here.