A long-time member of the Grade 1 ScottishPower Pipe Band, Esler will join Invercargill and move to New Zealand after the World Pipe Band Championships in August.

“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be part of the excellent set up with the ILT City of Invercargill and the SPDDT,” Esler said. “Although my season with ScottishPower has not finished yet I am very excited to get started in New Zealand . . . It’s my dream job.”

Esler will play under Pipe-Major Alasdair Mackenzie, who also was a member of ScottishPower and still competes with the band in the New Zealand’s off-season. Mackenzie said that there were numerous applicants for the post, including “many associated with world-class Grade 1 bands.” The selection committee created a short-list of four.

“It was a very, very tight race and Russell won the day as the selection committee considered he had the best mix of strengths for the role, and its environment, but it was a tough choice and those that missed out can rightfully feel disappointed,” commented SPDDT Chairman Allister Macgregor.

Esler is a pupil of Shotts & Dykehead L-D Jim Kilpatrick and ScottishPower L-D Barry Wilson, and he has assisted with writing bass and tenor scores for ScottishPower and often leads the drum section when Wilson is unavailable.

“I am looking forward to working alongside [Russell] at the SPDDT. He has all the qualities to succeed. It’s going to be a huge year too for the ILT City of Invercargill and I know Russell can’t wait to get stuck in and is right up for the challenge.”

Mackenzie said that Esler has already started to write material for Invercargill.

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Cobourg, Ontario – June 15, 2013 – The return of the Cobourg Highland Games to full piping, drumming and pipe band competition format was a spectacular success, with a packed Victoria Park on the shore of Lake Ontario in brilliant sunshine. Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia was brought in to perform in concert the night before, which they did to an audience estimated to number more than 1,000, and the band competed, winning with straight firsts in a five-band Grade 1 competition.

 

The Ontario season continued its varies results, with Toronto Police taking second prize, while heretofore unbeaten Peel Regional Police settled for third. The event marked the first time in more than three decades that a Grade 2 band challenged up to Grade 1, with the Ottawa Police Services Pipe Band acquitting itself well in the MSR event.

 

In the Professional Solo Piping, Ian K. MacDonald took Piper of the Day honours.

 

Stay tuned for video from the Grade 1 and Grade 2 band events.

 

Bands

Grade 1 (MSR, five competed)

1st Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (1,1,1,1)

2nd Toronto Police (2,2,2,4)

3rd Peel Regional Police (3,3,4,3)

4th 78th Fraser Highlanders (5,4,3,2)

5th Ottawa Police (Gr2) (4,5,5,5)

Judges: Peter Sinclair, John Elliott (piping); Jim McGillivray (ensemble); Michael Hunter (drumming)

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 2 (medley, two competed)

1st Ottawa Police (1,1,1,1)

2nd 400 Squadron (2,2,2,2)

Judges: Peter Sinclair, John Elliott (piping); Jim McGillivray (ensemble); Michael Hunter (drumming)

 

Professional Solo Piping (16 competed)

Piobaireachd

1st Glen Walpole

2nd Ian K. MacDonald

3rd Andrew Hayes

4th Sean McKeown

5th Allan Clark

6th Andrew Berthoff

Judge: Jim McGillivray

 

March

1st Andrew Hayes

2nd Andrea Boyd

3rd Andrew Berthoff

4th Ian K. MacDonald

5th Glen Walpole

6th Alan Clark

Judge: Peter Aumonier

 

Strathspey & Reel

1st Sean McKeown

2nd Ian K. MacDonald

3rd Glen Walpole

4th Andrea Boyd

5th Andrew Hayes

6th Andrew Berthoff

Judge: John Elliott

 

Jig

1st Ian K. MacDonald

2nd Jonathan Bellia

3rd Andrew Hayes

4th Doug MacRae

5th Ed Bush

6th Alan Clark

Judge: Peter Aumonier

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Please choose from this quick links menu: Book a Piping LessonBook a PiperBuy a Set of BagpipesBook an EventBook a BedroomBook a TableBook a WeddingBook a Party

Please choose from this quick links menu: Book a Piping LessonBook a PiperBuy a Set of BagpipesBook an EventBook a BedroomBook a TableBook a WeddingBook a Party

Please choose from this quick links menu: Book a Piping LessonBook a PiperBuy a Set of BagpipesBook an EventBook a BedroomBook a TableBook a WeddingBook a Party

Please choose from this quick links menu: Book a Piping LessonBook a PiperBuy a Set of BagpipesBook an EventBook a BedroomBook a TableBook a WeddingBook a Party

Boghall, fresh off a second-prize at the British Championships, the first RSPBA major of 2013, will perform in concert on the Friday evening, and then compete in the five-band Grade 1 competition on Saturday.

“We’ve been planning the trip for a good six months now, and have the material ready to perform,” said Boghall Pipe-Major Ross Walker. “While it is a version of our ‘Forte’ concert performed in Glasgow last year, it will give us the opportunity to debut our new medley for 2013 under some pressure. This will stand us in great stead given we could be competing with it two weeks after we return from Cobourg at the European Championships in Forres, Scotland.”

Boghall & Bathgate won the European Championship in Belfast last year.

At the concert Boghall revealed that Peel Regional Police bass drummer Ian Gibson will join the band to play in the salute to Boghall’s legendary former-Leading-Drummer Tom Brown. “It is an honour to be asked to perform with a band that I have always admired and looked up to,” Gibson commented, adding that he will compete against them with his own band on Saturday.

The band also said that the audience on Friday can “expect to be involved more in this show in contrast to Glasgow.”

About the experience, Walker added, “It will be an opportunity to experience a different pipe band culture and give some people a chance to hear Boghall in the flesh perhaps for the first time.”

Tickets are available for the Friday concert at the Cobourg Community Centre.

Bands competing against Boghall & Bathgate at Cobourg in the Grade 1 MSR event are the 78th Fraser Highlanders, Peel Regional Police, Toronto Police and the Grade 2 Ottawa Police, who will play up under new PPBSO policy allowing bands to challenge into a higher grade at select events.

With the draw of the World Pipe Band Championship and, for the last 10 years, the Piping Live! Festival, Canadian pipe bands have travelled collectively to compete in Scotland more than 150 times since 1988.

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Speirs played “A Welcome for Patrick Struan,” which MacLellan composed on the birth of his second grandson in 1989.

Also competing were Faye Henderson (“The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairick”), Stuart Liddell (“Salute to the Queen’s Own Highlanders”), and Gordon Walker (“Am Bratach Gorm”).

Henderson was invited to take the place of her father, Murray Henderson, who won the inaugural Captain John A. MacLellan Medal last year, but later in the year retired from solo competition.

Faye Henderson played “The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairack,” composed by MacLellan for an incident in 1958 in the Great Glen near Fort Augustus when at base the pipes were clearly heard signalling the arrival of a Cameron Highlanders route march in bad weather. Due to the horrendous conditions, the pipers, who included the great soloist Iain MacFadyen, were told not to play miles earlier by Colonel David Murray. It is thought that this was the Phantom Piper playing in Corrieyairack Pass, where legend has it that Montrose’s Army will march once again if he is heard to play.

“The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairack” won the Saltire Association’s piobaireachd composing competition in 1963.

“Salute to the Queen’s Own Highlanders” was given to Stuart Liddell to play, and the tune was the first of MacLellan’s piobaireachd compositions, commemorating the creation of the Queen’s Own Highlanders as a result of amalgamation of the Seaforth and Cameron Highlanders.

Gordon Walker played “Am Bratach Gorm.” John MacLellan composed the tune in 1986 for the Scottish Piping Society of London’s annual Bratach Gorm, or Blue Banner, piobaireachd competition. The banner was originally presented by Dr. Calum MacCrimmon.

John Wilson judged the contest, and Euan Anderson delivered as the Fear an Tigh for the evening, which was attended by 100 enthusiasts.

The event is organized by the Capt. John A. MacLellan Memorial Trust, which was started in 2000 to honour the late, great piper.

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