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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Metro Cup Results 2012 were:

Piobaireachd

1st Angus MacColl

2nd Stuart Liddell

3rd Alex Gandy

4th Chris Armstrong, Airth, Scotland

5th Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

6th Bobby Durning, Milltown, New Jersey

7th Gordon Walker, Galston, Scotland

Medley

1st Willie McCallum

2nd Alex Gandy

3rd Stuart Liddell

4th Angus MacColl

5th Gordon Walker

6th Chris Armstrong

7th Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland

Craig Muirhead has won through to the final of the Scots Guards Club piping knockout competition against Jenny Hazzard.

Both pipers gave an an excellent display of light music and piobaireachd with Jenny playing the ground of Donald Dhugal Mackay and Craig the ground and V1 of Catherines Lament during the half hour performance required from each competitor.

The next semi final will be held on 18 March at the Scots Guards Club Haymarket Edinburgh 0131 337 1084 tickets £10.00 with curry served after.

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/

Newark, New Jersey – February 18, 2012 – The overall winner of the 2012 Metro Cup Solo Piping Championship was Angus MacColl of Benderloch, Scotland, who was first in the Piobaireachd event and fourth in the Medley, which was won by Willie McCallum of Bearsden, Scotland. MacColl was tied with Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland, and Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but gained the prize with a Piobaireachd preference. The competition is organizaed by the Metro New York Branch of the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association.

 

 

Piobaireachd

1st Angus MacColl

2nd Stuart Liddell

3rd Alex Gandy

4th Chris Armstrong, Airth, Scotland

5th Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

6th Bobby Durning, Milltown, New Jersey

7th Gordon Walker, Galston, Scotland

 

Medley

1st Willie McCallum

2nd Alex Gandy

3rd Stuart Liddell

4th Angus MacColl

5th Gordon Walker

6th Chris Armstrong

7th Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland

 

Both events were judged by Ian Duncan, Scot Walker and Robert Wallace.

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The Victorian Highland Pipe Band Association of Australia has just completed its first test trial in which bands are allowed to enter and take a formation very different from the familiar closed circle set up.

 

Several bands at the Berwick Gathering over the last weekend took advantage of the trial, including Moorabbin City and Hawthorn City, both from the Melbourne area. Moorabbin won the Grade 2 event.

 

Trial rules were passed through the VHPBA in 2011 stating that, in addition to a circle formation, bands could choose from several other options that allowed the competing band to face the judges and the audience, although judges were free to roam. Bands could form between two flags four metres from the outside of the centre of the circle, and march into the formation in various fashions.

 

While judges could move around bands facing the audience, all of them reportedly chose to listen only from the front.

 

In addition to the Berwick Gathering, the other trial event will be at the Ringwood Highland Gathering just before the Australian Pipe Band Championships at Ballarat over the Easter weekend.

 

The trial is reserved only for medley competitions. MSRs will maintain a tradition closed circle format. Leading up to Berwick, there was “significant consternation” about the experiment from traditionalists determined to see the closed circle approach maintained, according to one insider, who added that the audience-facing format was “not as hard as the naysayers made out before it was trialed . . . no breakdowns by lower-grade bands from fear of having to actually face the audience . . . the quality, and enjoyment, of the performance not hindered by the drones facing away from the audience.

 

Most Australia pipe band competitions call for bands to compete in both a medley and an MSR event on the same day, with the aggregate scores determining the overall winner in each grade.

 

The Victorian Highland Pipe Band Association is a branch of the Australian Pipe Band Association. Established in 1924, the VHPBA is purported to be the oldest pipe band association in the world.

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The Aberdeen Universities Officers Training Corps is celebrating its centenary year with a tune composing competition – but you’ll have to be a current or past member to participate.

 

Those who have played in the AUOTC include several well known pipers who joined to band to make a little money while attending Aberdeen University. To name a few luminaries, William Donaldson, Ian Duncan, Allan MacDonald and Jack Taylor have all plied their hobby with Drums & Pipes of the AUOTC.

 

Nicknamed “The Old Boars,” the group is calling for a four-part march in 6/8 time, the winning tune to be named “Non Confundar (The AUOTC Centenary).” Organizer said that the tune will be played at various events during the centenary year. “The competition is open to all past and present members of AUOTC and multiple entries are encouraged,” they added.

 

The contest will be judged by Stuart Samson, and closing date for entries is March 30, 2012. To enter, two manuscript copies of the music should be sent to AUOTC Association, c/o R. Cameron, 5 Craigiebuckler Avenue, Aberdeen, AB15 8SH Scotland. The winner will be ann0ounced in April of this year.

 

The organizers said that a prize in addition to simply winning the contest has not been determined, but it will not be cash, and instead some sort of meaningful memento will be awarded.

 

Formed in 1912, the Aberdeen Universities Officers Training Corps is part of the British Army to provide Aberdeen University students with leadership and management training. The Drums & Pipes were established in 1924.

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Luss Highland Games are introducing a new Piobaireachd competition alongside their light music events for the first time in 2012. Details are:

Luss Highland Games, Games Field, Luss G83 8NX, Saturday 7 July 2012
Draw 10-45 a.m.   -   Start 11 a.m.
Entry on Games Field.

While he’s a prominent light music composer with two collections published so far and scores of arrangements for pipe bands over his 40-year career, Bill Livingstone had never completed a piobaireachd – until now. “For Ranald” is the master piper’s first attempt at ceol mor, and he offered it exclusively to pipes|drums readers.

 

 

 

Livingstone contends that the tune is neither a lament nor a salute, but more of a “declaration.”

 

“I heard it in a declaratory way, sort of like the big ‘Nameless.’ As the ground developed, line three needed to swing a bit, and out came compound time. The melody in that passage seemed to suit that treatment. But I think that the rest gets a bit sing-songy with a relentless compound rhythm.

 

“I’m a fan of finding the hidden compound time bits in tunes written in 4/4, like ‘Beloved Scotland’ and ‘MacCrimmon’s Sweetheart.’ My take is that it’s in the discretion of the performer . . . and pipers should do what they think will present the tune best.”

 

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