CLASP 2025 “Live Online” overall league winners announced

The Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) has determined the overall winners in each grade from “Live Online” events held in February, May and November 2025, and the results demonstrate just how global and ethnicity-agnostic the Highland pipes have become:

• Grade 1: Charles-David Mitchell (Canada)
• Grade 2: Mariko Arimoto (Japan)
• Grade 3: Anna Binder (Austria)
• Grade 4: Todd Schroeder (USA)

It was Mitchell’s third time winning the overall Grade 1 prize.

CLASP launched its Live Online competitions to enable members to compete during the pandemic and continued the format to complement its series of in-person contests.

Online competitors play live before an administrator at a time that works for the piper’s time zone. The performances are recorded and subsequently emailed to judges who assess them over several weeks, providing a visual of the piper without the risk of Internet connection interruptions.

CLASP is operated by the National Piping Centre in Glasgow. The organization was created to give adult amateur UK solo pipers the opportunity to compete without playing against Open/Professional-standard contestants.

With no overall sanctioning body, non-CLASP piping competitions in the UK continue to offer only “senior” and “junior” events for pipers aged 18 and older and 17 and younger, respectively. However, CLASP events are now offered at a few Highland games, including Inveraray.

CLASP also set dates for its three 2026 Live Online events: February 6-7; May 1-2; and November 6-7.