Archive
Field Marshal Montgomery was the Grade 1 winner of the Mid-Ulster Pipe Band Championships, held on the grounds of Cookstown High School in a three-band medley competition. St. Laurence O’Toole took the drumming. It was the first competition for Field Marshal Montgomery, and the first under the band’s new leading-drummer, Gareth McLees.
The 2023 Scottish Fest at Costa Mesa, just south of Los Angeles, saw 15 bands and more than 130 solo contestants competing for the prizes. Ultimately, the Silicon Valley Pipe Band took both top-level events, and Californian Seamus Coyne took the aggregate Professional Solo Piping. Grade 1 overall went to Malachi Johannsen, Grade 2: Noah Mittwer, Grade 3: Lars Lund, Grade 4 17 & Under: Logan Gorsuch, Grade 4 18 & Over: Andrew Reynolds. Crowd attendance exceeded expectations and the weather was typically Southern California excellent all weekend.
A fundamental change must occur if piping and drumming is to thrive or even survive in any meaningful way. In short, we have to put the performance – the entertainment value for non-players – first and clinical precision second. For more than 35 years, we’ve called for a musical change […]
Ten talented amateur Grade 1 solo piping competitors will earn a place in the brand new World Amateur Champion of Champions Solo Piping Competition to be held on April 27, 2024, in a “live online” format run by the National Piping Centre’s Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP). How […]
According to both BBC Scotland and Glasgow Life, the live-stream, radio and television coverage of the 2023 World Pipe Band Championships on August 18-19 in Glasgow are still to be determined. A spokesperson for Glasgow Life, the organization that licenses the competition from the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and […]
The Peel Regional Police of Ontario won Grade 2 both days with straight first placings at the annual Alma Highland Festival, traditionally held over the American Memorial Day weekend. Seventeen bands in total competed in warm and sunny weather with a good crowd gathered to take in the music. There were no Grade 1 or Grade 3 competitions.
Under bright sunny skies, the first significant Scottish outdoor solo piping competition of 2023 was held at the annual Atholl Gathering in the shadow of Blair Castle on the Duke of Atholl’s estate. Roddy MacLeod of Glasgow had the most success overall, winning the Premier & A-Grade Piobaireachd and taking second in the Open MSR, while Edinburgh’s Ben Duncan and Angus D. MacColl of Benderloch, Scotland, took the MSR and Hornpipe & Jig, respectively. Due to the large entry, the Open light music was run in heats, judged by the judges who made up the benches for the finals, with one on each heat.
The Internet – May 6-26, 2023 – Scotland’s Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) enjoyed a strong entry to its latest “Live Online” contest, pipers playing and submitting their proctored performances by video on May 6th, and judges taking a few weeks to assess them. It was another chance […]
In sync with the launch of John Dew’s new digital collection, ‘Pipe Suites,’ we check in with the prolific young composer on the possibilities of this now 35-year-old musical category
Victoria, British Columbia – May 20-21, 2023 – The 160th Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival saw clean sweeps of the Open and Grade 1 solo piping by Alistair Lee and Cameron Bonar, while Blair Brown took both Open solo snare drumming events. The competition brought in Paul Turner from […]
The David M. Bailiff Memorial Trophy was presented to Nick Hudson in honour of the long-time Piping & Drumming Director of the games who passed away in September 2022. Bailiff was an accomplished piper, a judge with the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, a member of the EUSPBA’s Music Board, and a loyal fan of the Baltimore Orioles.
This piping and drumming success story is one of vision, perseverance and dedication, resulting in a consistent stream of young players helping to sustain a regional scene. By Rob Tighe The Lord Selkirk Robert Fraser Memorial Pipe Band, or Lord Selkirk RFM (LSRFMPB) as they are better known, is from […]
If enough investors can be assembled to cover an estimated £2.5-million to purchase the Husabost Estate and renovate the derelict laird’s house at Borreraig, the 2,500-acre hallowed ground on the Isle of Skye could come under the ownership of pipers for pipers. The coalition project is being spearheaded by Eric […]
Despite a hard rain shower and some drizzle around 9 am, the weather proved friendly for a great day the Saskatchewan Highland Gathering & Celtic Festival. There was a full slate of amateur solo entries from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and 11 bands played in the afternoon events. Calgary’s Rocky Mountain prevailed in the three-band Grade 2 event, playing for the first time with their new lead-drummer, Ian Aastrom, who was recruited after seeing the pipes|drums story about the band’s search
Inveraray & District took the Grade 1 competition against seven other Grade 1 and Grade 2 bands at the inaugural Pipe Band & Drum Majors competition at Dollar Academy, hosted and organized by the RSPBA’s Dundee, Perth & Angus Branch. Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia won the drumming for the second straight 2023 competition under new Lead-Drummer Kerr McQuillan.
Palmerston North, New Zealand – May 19, 2023 – By winning the Targe Piobaireachd and placing second in the Claidhmor March, Strathspey, Reel, Hornpipe & Jig, Greg Wilson of Tai Tapu, New Zealand, came away as the big winner at the annual Palmerston North contest for top solo pipers. Wellington’s […]