We are sad to report that Scott MacAulay died early on the morning of September 10, 2008, after an extended battle with cancer.
The Director and Chief Executive Officer of the College of Piping & Celtic Performing Arts in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, since its inception in 1990, MacAulay was an accomplished Highland piper with numerous top awards to his name, including the Silver Medal and the Open Jig at the Northern Meeting.
In pipe bands he was equally accomplished, having played for many years with the Grade 1 Clan MacFarlane and Erskine bands in the Hamilton, Ontario, area, where Scott MacAulay grew up. His parents were from the isle of Lewis in Scotland's Hebrides, and he was raised in a household that was heavily influenced by the Gaelic language and culture.
He was Pipe-Major of the Grade 1 Dunvegan Pipe Band, a group that lasted only a few years in the 1980s, but which made a significant mark musically.
Over the last 20 years he made a significant mark as a teacher. Among his pupils were accomplished pipers Robert Crabtree and Andrew Hayes.
"I considered Scott to be one of the major influences in my development as both a person and as a piper," Hayes said. "He was an enthusiastic teacher who shared his knowledge freely, and his love for the music was a constant motivator for both him and his students."
Known for his larger-than-life-personality and incredibly quick wit, Scott MacAulay was well liked and popular. He fought his illness with quiet determination and positive thinking, keeping his ordeal essentially private. He had sought out experimental treatment that he said extended his life by almost a year.
pipes|drums extends its sympathy to all who knew Scott MacAulay and, most of all, his immediate and extended family.
The funeral will be on Monday, September 15th, at 11:00 am., location to be determined.
The funeral home for visitation:
Moase Funeral Home
150 Summer Street
Summerside, PEI C1N 3J6
Phone: (902) 436- 2301
The MacAulay family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to:
The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada, Inc.
619 Water Street East
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
C1N 4H8 Canada
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