Argyllshire Gathering Trust awards Angus MacColl 2026 Bruno Schroder Medal for Argyll piping contributions

His trophy room will now sport the Bruno Schroder Medal, after the Argyllshire Gathering Trust decided that he should receive the Bruno Schroder Medal in recognition of his service to piping in Argyll.

Calling MacColl “a standard‑bearer for Argyllshire piping, admired for his musicality, leadership, and lifelong dedication to the tradition, his competitive record places him among the most accomplished pipers of the modern era.”

They do not exaggerate. Among his prizes:

• The Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering six times (2023, 2022, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2000)
• Five Clasps at the Northern Meeting (2022, 2011, 2000, 1998, 1993)
• Four Glenfiddich Championships (2015, 2010, 2006, 1995)
• The Highland Society of London Gold Medals (Oban 1996, Inverness 1992)
• Four Former Winners MSRs at Oban (2018, 2015, 1998, 1991)
• Three Silver Star Former Winners MSRs at Inverness thrice (2016, 2008, 2005)
• The Capt. John MacLellan Memorial Medal (2019)
• The Silver Chanter (2011)
• The Jigs/Hornpipe & Jigs at Inverness and Oban a gazillion times
• The 2025 Sun Belt Invitational
• The Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge a record eight times
• The Masters (2015)
• Twice was elected pipes|drums Competition Piper of the Year (2015, 2006).

“For more than three decades, MacColl has been central to the Argyllshire Gathering Trust’s Primary School Piping Scheme,” a spokesman for the Argyllshire Gathering Trust said in a news release. “His guidance helps children take their first steps in piping and supports their progression into the region’s thriving youth music community.”

“Angus MacColl’s work continues to inspire generations of young musicians and strengthens the musical pathway that defines the region’s identity.”

The Primary School Piping Scheme was started in 1996 by the great piper and Oban native Ronnie Lawrie. It contributes £60,000 annually to help with piping tuition for kids across the Argyll region of western Scotland. Instruction is from MacColl, Stuart Liddell and Donald MacPhee, and nearly 250 pupils from 30 primary schools have benefitted from the program.

MacColl also runs the Oban High School Pipe Band project, which he founded in 2005, currently with more than 40 pipers and drummers aged 17 and younger.

“His work continues to inspire generations of young musicians and strengthens the musical pathway that defines the region’s identity,” the Trust added.

The Bruno Schroder Medal for outstanding service to piping in Argyll was first awarded in 2025 to Ian Tegner for his decades of teaching Highland piping in Argyll’s primary schools.

According to the Trust, “the medal recognizes exceptional, long‑term contribution to piping, particularly work that strengthens piping tuition, youth development, community piping activity, and the musical heritage of the region,” which covers Oban, Mid-Argyll, Islay, Mull, Kintyre, Cowal, Helensburgh, Lower Argyll, Dunoon, and Luss.

Bruno Schroder (1933-2019) was a billionaire banker and a significant landowner in Scotland and was a longtime sponsor of the Argyllshire Gathering’s solo piping events.