Archive

Hot on the heels of winning both the Clasp and the Silver Star MSR at the Northern Meeting, Callum Beaumont of Sat. Andrews, Scotland, had the most successful day of the 16 pipers who competed at the annual solo piping competitions on the grounds of the extraordinary Chatsworth House in the Derbyshire Dales. The event offers more than £3,500 in total prize money, making it one of the world’s most lucrative contests for those who do well. The weather was warm and bright. Beaumont received an additional £100 for being the overall champion.

Gareth McLees was the winner of the 2023 United Kingdom Solo Pipe Band Drumming Championships, held at Greystone Primary School. The contest was the final event to determine those who will compete in the semi-final of the World Solo Drumming Championships on October 21st in Glasgow.

In 2022, former pipe-major Kenny MacLeod stepped up to ensure that the Grade 2 Glasgow Skye Association could get back on the road, and the storied band was able to compete throughout the 2023 season. Now that the band is well reestablished, MacLeod has voluntarily given way to Donald Stewart, […]

Sources close to the competition have confirmed the 10 pipers who will receive a welcome to the 2023 Glenfiddich Invitational Solo Piping Championships at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Scotland, on Saturday, October 28th. The event will be the 50th anniversary of the world’s most prestigious invitational piping event, generally considered […]

The second day of the Northern Meeting returned again to Eden Court Theatre, and it was Callum Beaumont of St. Andrew’s, Scotland, who won the Clasp, the biggest prize of the event. Campell Wilson of New Zealand won the B-Grade MSR, assuring a move into A-Grade light music, while the A- and B-Grade Hornpipe & Jig competitions were won by Fred Morrison and Bradley Parker, respectively.

The Grade 2 Los Angeles Scots have made Scott Walsh the band’s leading-drummer after Steven Graham led the corps for the last two years. Walsh has been a member since 2017. Saying he’s looking forward to the challenge and keen to keep the momentum going, the Hawick, Scotland, native Walsh […]

The first day of the biggest solo piping competition in the world once again is at the Northern Meeting at Eden Court Theatre on the banks of the River Ness in the capital of the Highlands. Innes Smith of Bridge of Allan, Scotland, won the Highland Society of London Gold Medal, while Matt Pantaleoni became the second piper from St. Louis to win the Silver Medal. Later it was announced that Craig Sutherland of Perth, Scotland, won the A-Grade MSR. Smith can now compete in the Clasp and the Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering, Pantaleoni gets a pass to compete in the 2024 Highland Society of London Gold Medal competitions at Inverness and Oban, and Sutherland qualifies to play in the Silver Star MSR at the Northern Meeting.

Threnody Mark Saul Eight tracks, total running time: 39 minutes AUD$10, available on Bandcamp Reviewed by Ann Gray “Threnody” (noun): A lament. Threnody is the title of Mark Saul’s new album, released in July of this year. A Google search indicates that the word comes from the mid-17th century Greek – “threnoidia” – from “threnos” […]

There are more Grade 1 pipe bands per capita than any independent country on earth, and next year’s New Zealand Championships will be held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland March 15-16, providing an excellent opportunity for northern hemisphere pipers and drummers to enjoy a playing holiday in their off-season. With a […]

Glasgow – August 27, 2023 – Luke Kennedy of Dundee, Scotland, was the first winner of the Bronze Media for piobaireachd, launched last year by the Competing Pipers Association with an aim to provide a meaningful event for senior/open-level pipers not yet accepted to compete in the two Silver Medal […]

The Captain John A. MacLellan MBE Memorial Medal was won by Edinburgh’s Iain Speirs in another formal evening wear event at the Waldorf-Astoria Caledonian Hotel in Scotland’s capital city centre featuring the music of the late great piper, teacher and leader. Speirs, performing “The Edinburgh Piobaireachd,” competed against Nick Hudson, Houston (“Farewell to the Queen’s Ferry”); Finlay Johnston, Glasgow (“Salute to the Succession”); and Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland (“The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairack”).

After 13 years as pipe-major of the Grade 1 78th Fraser Highlanders, Doug MacRae has retired from the role, making his decision official after notifying Leading-Drummer Drew Duthart and then by sending a heartfelt letter to all band members on August 24th. MacRae is only the second pipe-major of the […]

The second day of the Argyllshire Gathering took the world’s top solo pipers outdoors to Mossfield Park on the east side of the Highland town. The light music competitions were held as always among a traditional Highland games. The weather was challenging, and the rain, according to one contestant, went from “mild and intermittent to aggressive.” Some competitors decided not to play rather than risk wrecking their instruments before the Northern Meeting.

The first day of the Argyllshire Gathering was devoted mainly to the piobaireachd events held at various indoor venues across the Highland town. The Highland Society of London Gold Medal was won by Alasdair Henderson of Edinburgh. Local piping hero Angus D. MacColl of nearby Benderloch won the Senior Piobaireachd for previous winners of at least one of the Highland Society of London Gold Medals at either Oban or Inverness. It was his sixth win of the award, previously taking it in 2000, ’04, ’05, ’09, and’ 22. With the win, both Henderson and MacColl gain invitations to the Glenfiddich Championships in October, joining reigning champ Willie McCallum, Bratach Gorm winner Bruce Gandy, and overall London winner Fred Morrison.

The decision not to include one of the 16 judges’ rankings that came to light immediately following the announcement of the Grade 1 results at the 2023 World Pipe Band Championships on August 19th has become a full-on communications fiasco, the scale of which is unprecedented in pipe band history. […]

The Argyllshire Gathering at Oban, Scotland, was first held in 1871, as a festival of Highland culture and sport run by the region’s gentry, and the solo piping competitions continue to be among the most prestigious in the world. This year’s piping contests will take place August 23-24, with all […]