Overall Winners
15-17 Years Champion: Ross Miller
Under 15 Years Champion: Brighde Chaimbeul
Chanter Champion: Kyle Rowan

Category A Event 1 – 15-17 Piobaireachd

1. Charles MacDonald
2. Ross Miller
3. Scott Barrie
4. Christopher Gray
5. Calum Watson
6. Iain Crawford

Category A Event 2 – 15-17 MSR

1. Ross MacKay
2. Edward Lavender
3. Calum Watson
4. Christopher Gray
5. Andrew Clark
6. Charles MacDonald

Category A Event 3 – 15-17 Jig

1. Andrew Clark
2. Iain Crawford
3. Ross Miller
4. Christopher Gray
5. Cameron Underwood
6. Rebecca Tierney

Category B Event 4 – U 15 Piobaireachd

1. Brighde Chaimbeul
2. Lucy Ferguson
3. Cameron McDougall
4. Connor Jardine
5. Harry McLachlan
6. Kyle Shead
7. Holly Fredlander

Category B Event 5 – U 15 Piob (Ground)

1. James Miller
2. Finlay Cameron
3. Kimberly Campbell
4. Shannon Gould
5. Ryan McLachlan
6. Angus Hawkin

Category B Event 6 – U 15 March

1. Lucy Ferguson
2. Brighde Chaimbeul
3. Sandy Cameron
4. Harry McLachlan
5. Harris MacLennan
6. Calum Brown

Category B Event 7 – U 15 S&R

1. Sandy Cameron
2. Brighde Chaimbeul
3. Harry McLachlan
4. Lucy Ferguson
5. Lewis Russell
6. Harris MacLennan

Category C Event 8 – Chanter – Slow Air

1. Kyle Rowan
2. Jamie McKerrall
3. Ben Miller
4. Robert Corner
5. Max Landwehr-Traxler
6. Ryan Wotherspoon

Category C Event 9 – Chanter – March

1. Kyle Rowan
2. Jamie McKerrall
3. Ryan Wotherspoon
4. Christina McFadyen
5. Ben Miller
6. Corri Campbell

The Pipers’ Tryst is currently rated number one ‘Best Value Hotel’ in Glasgow on Tripadvisor.
Whilst the ratings change daily we have managed to stay number one for a month now!

The annual National Piping Centre Junior Solo Contest was held over the weekend with once again a large entry field travelling to Glasgow. Well done to all the NYPBoS members on representing the band once again to the highest of levels.

Special congratulations to Ross Miller for winning the overall Champions prize for the 15 – 17 year olds category. Other excellent performances yesterday were by:

• Christopher Gray 15 – 17 Overall Runners Up
• Ross MacKay 1st 15 – 17 MSR
• Andrew Clark 1st 15 – 17 Jig
• Lucy Ferguson 1st Under 15 March

Also in the prizes were Calum Watson, Iain Crawford, Rebecca Tierney, Harry McLachlan and Harris MacLennan.

Full results available here.

pipes|drums has learned from two separate inside sources that the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association will reportedly announce plans to make the World Pipe Band Championships a two-day competition, beginning in 2013. Exact details are reportedly still to be decided and officially ratified, but the organization may make an official announcement at its annual general meeting on March 10th in Glasgow.

 

According to one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, a likely scenario will be a Saturday-Sunday event, with all grades competing on both days. The marquee Grade 1 contest could see all bands competing in both a Medley and MSR competition on the first day, and then a short-leet final on Sunday, again comprising both a Medley and MSR.

 

“Think-tank meetings are taking place with various groups and committees,” said the source, but that “a two-day event is definitely on the cards.”

 

“A two-day World’s in 2013 is . . . now pretty definite,” said another insider, who also commented provided he is not named.

 

The association has been under pressure from bands for several years to alter the format of the World Championships, which currently operates on a single day, with Grade 1 taking on a complex qualifying process that includes a league-table system throughout the RSPBA season, exemptions for “overseas” bands that placed at the previous year’s World’s, and an MSR qualifier competition on the day of the Championship.

 

A complicating factor for non-UK bands with a Sunday event could be the additional travel and vacation time needed to stay in Scotland through the weekend.

 

“We feel like a two-days World’s would be a good thing,” said Terry Lee, pipe-major of six-time World Champions Simon Fraser University Pipe Band of Vancouver. ”It would be more challenge and more suspense. Even though it means bands such as SFU will not pre-qualify, it is worth it to see the event grow. If our events are potentially being doubled it would be nice to see a doubling of the judging panel as well. The scope of the event has outgrown four-member panels. I personally wonder why we wouldn’t see finals in more grades than Grade 1. This could help with enlarging the ‘finals’ panels as well. Twelve-band finals would be nice.”

 

The World Championships will continue to be held in Glasgow for at least the next three years, as the city was awarded the event in a contract extension. The competition has been held in Glasgow every year since 1980 except 1985 when it moved to the town of Hamilton due to complications with its original Bellahouston Park venue. Before 1980 the event moved from city to city every year since 1947, when it was established, replacing the de facto world championships at the Cowal Gathering.

 

RSPBA officials had not responded to inquiries regarding the matter at publication time.

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The National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland has confirmed the dates for their Educational Outreach Programme for 2012. This fantastic programme allows the band to bring its members to communities across Scotland to help teach and collaborate with other young aspiring pipers and drummers.

This year the band will be travelling to Perthshire to conduct a 3 day Summer Camp and then later in the year to the Outer Hebrides to conduct 2 one day workshops. This is a fantastic opportunity for young pipers and drummers in these regions to meet other young musicians from around the country.

Please note that there are only limited places available for the Perthshire Summer Camp so register before you miss out.

• Perthshire Summer Camp 17th – 19th July 2012 (limited places)
• Lewis & Harris Outreach 22nd September 2012
• Uist & Barra 23rd September 2012

For more information regarding both of these events and to register please follow the links.

Registration: /national-youth-pipe-band/outreach-2012/registration/

For most of the piping and drumming world north of the equator, the weather outside is frightful, so pipes|drums takes you back to the summer with another Hot Stove League video. This time, it’s high-definition video highlights of Angus MacColl, the virtuoso piper from Benderloch, Scotland, performing in the 2011 Lord Todd Challenge Recital at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on August 11th.

 

The Lord Todd Challenge is one of the hottest tickets of the piping year. The room is always filled to capacity, the bar six-deep and the excitement metre redlining, as five of the world’s greatest solo pipers converge in an invitational event where almost anything goes – provided it’s on a Highland bagpipe.

 

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Kintyre Juvenile Pipe Band Association presents CONCERTS & CEILIDH
Featuring Kintyre Schools Pipe Bands and guests with M.C.  John Wilson
Saturday 10th March 2012 at Campbeltown Grammar School

Matinee Concert at 2pm (doors 1pm) including teas and coffees

Evening Concert & Ceilidh at 8pm (doors 7pm) With the Kinloch Ceilidh Band
All persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by their own parents

Tickets available from:
Yorkshire Building Society, Longrow South, Campbeltown

Afternoon Concert: £6 (concessions available)
Evening Concert & Ceilidh: £12 (no concessions)

Steven Shedden retires and Grant Cassidy appointed new Drum Sergeant of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland.

Grant Cassidy has been appointed as the new Drum Sergeant of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. He takes over the leading drummers role after Steven Shedden who has been the bands leading drummer since 2009 decided to step down from this position due to increased commitments. On behalf of all the members and staff at the NYPBoS I would like to thank Steven for all of his hard work, dedication and commitment since joining the project and we wish him all the best with his future endeavours and aspirations.

Grant comes into the position with a wealth of experience and knowledge for such a young musician and we’re sure that he’ll continue to further develop the drum corps into the future. The National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland’s Senior Drum Corps currently comprises of 13 snare drummers, 7 tenors and a bass.

The Toronto Police Pipe Band will help to mark its centenary this year with a November 10th concert in downtown Toronto at the Opera House that will also feature the renowned Gaelic singer, Catherine-Ann MacPhee.

 

“We’re planning a number of events to mark the band’s 100th,” said Pipe-Major Ian K. MacDonald. “There’s no doubt this show will be the highlight. Band members have really stepped up their commitment this special year to learn new music and just kick our whole effort up a notch to deliver the best we can in 2012.”

 

As with the band’s first concert at another well known Toronto music venue, the El Mocambo, the concert will be captured for a CD and, this time, a DVD.

 

MacPhee, originally from the isle of Barra and who now lives in Ottawa, is one of Scotland’s best known traditional singers, with solo five recordings to her name. In a statement, the band said that “Cathy-Ann’s Gaelic view of the world is sure to augment perfectly the avant-garde pipe sounds often associated with the music of the Toronto Police.”

 

“To have Cathy-Ann join the show is an awesome plus,” MacDonald added. ”I first got exposed to Gaelic waulking songs through the old 78th Fraser Highlanders’ music. And . . . we’ve now made the chance to gather hundreds of people to join us to create a great big waulking song set with one of Scotland’s best.”

 

The Opera House is another Toronto music landmark. Built in 1909, the venue has more recently hosted big acts like Eminem and Rage Against the Machine.

 

The concert will start at 8 pm. Tickets will be priced at $25, available starting in mid-March from Ticketmaster and directly from the band.

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The National Piping Centre, Glasgow will be returning for its 10th year to Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia between 17th -22nd June 2012.

With world class piping instructors including the current and four time Glenfiddich Champion (and our esteemed principal) Roddy MacLeod MBE, Cpt (Retd) Stuart Samson MBE, ex-director of Ex-Director of the Army School of
Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, 2011 Gold Medallist and three time world pipe band championship winner Callum Beaumont and 2009 Gold Medallist and twice world pipe band championship winner Glenn Brown, it will be a fantastic week of top quality tuition.

Drummers will also experience fantastic teaching with Graham Brown (snare) the current leading drummer of Peel Regional Police, and Steven Kilbride (Tenor) who has vast experience in pipe bands and teaching.

This is a fantastic school that has now reached its 10th year! To find our more go to http://www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/bag…doah-virginia/