With Worlds done and dusted, get ready for the big solo piping events
With the pesky World Pipe Band Championships out of the way, the globe’s top competitive pipers are digging for the major Scottish solo competitions, beginning with the two-day Argyllshire Gathering at the scenic West Highland town of Oban.
The first day is on Wednesday, August 26th, with all of the piobaireachd competitions and the Former Winners MSR being held at indoor venues, followed by the rest of the light music contests held rain or shine at Mossfield Park on Oban’s outskirts (next door to Glencruitten Golf Club, the home club of top-flight PGA player Robert MacIntyre).
Entry to the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting at Inverness can be fraught with anxiety for those not in the events that are generally reserved for previous winners of other contests. The Gold and Silver Medals are limited to 25 contestants. A “Joint Vetting Committee” comprising representatives from the Argyllshire Gathering, Northern Meeting, Solo Piping Judges Association and the Competing Pipers Association reviews applications and decides who’s accepted. A certain few pipers on the cusp are wait-listed in the event an accepted entrant doesn’t attend.
According to a source, “The convention is that you have two years uncontested in the Gold Medal, and if the Joint Vetting Committee deems your playing not up to snuff, you are essentially demoted.”
For example, despite winning the Silver Medal at the Northern Meeting in 2023, Matt Pantaleoni of St. Louis was not accepted to compete for the Highland Society of London Gold Medal.
In at least one other instance, a previous winner of the Silver Medal was not permitted to play in the Gold Medal at either Oban or Inverness after a few years’ hiatus. The precedent then was that the Silver Medallist (and subsequent Gold Medal prizewinner) had to go around the Scottish Highland games circuit, often sparsely entered, to prove that his playing merited acceptance to the Gold Medals, which he did for a year and was then allowed to return.
The entry process has always lacked clarity, and each year confused at least a few applicants. In 1985, John Hanning of New Zealand was famously accepted to the Gold Medal at Oban, won the prize, but was made to compete in the Silver Medal at Inverness.
With 28 in the Senior Piobaireachd, and at least as many in the equivalent Clasp competition at the Northern Meeting, organizers and judges are pressed to maintain an equitable or even feasible competition, exacerbated by the Piobaireachd Society creating a five-year program started in 2023 whereby competitors must choose from a prescribed list of mostly 15 minutes or longer piobaireachds. Each competitor must submit six pieces from their list, the condition being that they can’t include the piobaireachds they were asked to play in previous years.
Unlike the Gold Medal, pipers who had won one of the Highland Society of London Gold Medals were accepted without question. The substantially increased numbers are reportedly presenting a quandary for the Joint Vetting Committee, whether to continue the tradition or, like the Gold Medals, limit the number of accepted entries.
The Northern Meeting will be on Thursday, September 3rd, and Friday, September 4th, all events held indoors at the elegant Eden Court Theatre on the banks of the River Ness.
Winners of the Gold Medals, Clasp, Senior Piobaireachd, and Former Winners MSR events at Oban and Inverness receive an invitation to the Glenfiddich Championships. Second-prize-winners in the CLASP, Sr. Piobaireachd and Former Winners are next in line in the event of a piper qualifying outright more than once.
In between Oban and Inverness is the Captain John A. MacLellan Memorial Medal Dinner piobaireachd competition in Edinburgh on Saturday, August 29th. Some tickets remain available for the tartan evening-wear event at the five-star Caledonian Hotel a few hundred yards from the foot of Edinburgh Castle. The Eagle Pipers Society organizes the unique event, which honours the legacy of the great Eagles co-founder, Capt. John MacLellan..
Competing for the one prize are Callum Beaumont, Cameron Drummond, Derek Midgley and Craig Sutherland, each assigned a composition by or closely associated with MacLellan.
Here are the accepted entries for the events at the 2026 Argyllshire Gathering, listed alphabetically by last name:
Wednesday, Aug. 26
Senior Piobaireachd (for winners of one or both Highland Society of London Gold Medals at the Argyllshire Gathering and/or Northern Meeting)
- Callum Beaumont, Guardbridge, Scotland
- Glenn Brown, Glasgow
- Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh
- Stuart Easton, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland
- Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
- Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario
- Alasdair Henderson, Dunoon, Scotland
- Nick Hudson, Houston
- Finlay Johnston, Glasgow
- Steven Leask, East Kilbride, Scotland
- Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia
- Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland
- Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland
- Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario
- Colin MacLellan, Edinburgh
- Roddy MacLeod, Glasgow
- Peter McCalister, Dunblane, Scotland
- Willie McCallum, Glasgow
- Fred Morrison, Bishopton, Scotland
- Douglas Murray, Cupar, Scotland
- Connor Sinclair, Crieff, Scotland
- Innes Smith, Dunblane, Scotland
- John-Angus Smith, London
- Iain Speirs, Edinburgh
- Craig Sutherland, Crieff, Scotland
- Brodie Watson-Massey, Edinburgh
- Greg Wilson, Christchurch, New Zealand
Judges: Murray Henderson, Bob Worrall, Bill Wotherspoon
Highland Society of London Gold Medal
- Chris Armstrong, Glasgow
- Calum Brown, Aberdeen
- Glenn Brown
- Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, Scotland
- Kyle Cameron, Tobermory, Scotland
- Sandy Cameron, Glasgow
- Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC
- Ben Duncan, Edinburgh
- Brendon Eade, Waikato, New Zealand
- Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
- Nick Hudson
- Cameron MacDougall, South Orange, New Jersey
- Angus MacPhee, Inverness, Scotland
- Cameron May, Dillerburn, Scotland
- Ben McClamrock, Bethesda, Maryland
- Gordon McCready, Renfrew, Scotland
- John McDonald, Aberdeen
- Sean McKeown, Ajax, Ontario
- Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey
- Sarah Muir, East Kilbride, Scotland
- Connor Sinclair, Perth, Scotland
- Innes Smith
- Darach Urquhart, Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland
- Brodie Watson-Massey
- Callum Wynd, Stirling, Scotland
Judges: Jimmy Banks, Alan Forbes, John Wilson
Silver Medal
- Joe Biggs, Bowmanville, Ontario
- Cameron Bonar, Surrey, British Columbia
- Alistair Brown, Kyleakin, Scotland
- Ruairidh Brown, Dunblane, Scotland
- Eireann Cameron, Burleton, Scotland
- Greig Canning, Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- Callum Carn, Glasgow
- Ross Conner, Campbeltown, Scotland
- John Dew, Crieff, Scotland
- Jacob Dicker, Maxville, Ontario
- Bobby Durning, Garland, Texas
- Mike Fitzhenry, Paisley, Scotland
- Edward Gaul, Dundee
- Liam Kernaghan, Auckland, New Zealand
- Zephan Knickel, Lynwood, Washington
- Anna Kummerlow, Kladrum, Germany
- Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland
- Edward McIlwaine, Vancouver
- James McPetrie, Edinburgh
- Ross Miller, Glasgow
- Bradley Parker, Chapelhall, Scotland
- Andrew Pattison, Troon, Scotland
- Jonathan Simpson, Borrowstounness, Scotland
- Andrew Smith, Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland
- Campbell Wilson, Pizen, Czechia
Judges: Euan Anderson, Mike Cusack, Ronnie McShannon
MacGregor Memorial (for pipers younger than 22)
Heat 1 (top four qualify for the eight-player final)
- Douglas Baird, Bathgate, Scotland
- Alasdair Bullock, Dalmally, Scotland
- Beatrix Carter, Washington, DC
- Christopher Drummond, Bathgate, Scotland
- Calum Dunbar, Inverness, Scotland
- Thomas Fallon, Inverleith, Scotland
- Sam Foote, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Arran Green, Stirling, Scotland
- Fraser Hamilton, Paisley, Scotland
- Abby Long, Houston
- Charlie Mack, Port Seton, Scotland
- Eala McElhinney, Glasgow
- Calan McGuigan, Oban, Scotland
- Liam Nicolson, Glasgow
- Alex Pavlovic, Houston
Heat 2 (top four qualify for the eight-player final)
- Hugh Anderson, Tobermory, Scotland
- Arran Brown, Campbeltown, Scotland
- Malachi Johannsen, Modesto, California
- Arthur MacKay, Livingstone, Scotland
- Peter MacKay, Glasgow
- Lewis Maxwell, Alva, Scotland
- Christopher McCartan, Lochgilphead, Scotland
- Ryan McCreadie, Livingstone, Scotland
- Lachlan Rennie, Dundee, Scotland
- Lily Robertson, Oban, Scotland
- James Silcock, Falkirk, Scotland
- Flora Stone, Natick, Massachusetts
- Magnus Stone, Dollar, Scotland
- Jack Watson, Kilmarnock, Scotland
- Alistair Williams, Dunblane, Scotland
The two judges for each heat and those assessing the final will be from this list: Ian Duncan, Derek Fraser, Patricia Henderson, and Logan Tannock. Finalists will not be given the piobaireachd they played in their heat.
Former Winners March, Strathspey & Reel (for winners of both the Argyllshire Gathering A-Grade March and Strathspey & Reel)
- Chris Armstrong
- Callum Beaumont
- Calum Brown
- Glenn Brown
- Cameron Drummond
- Ben Duncan
- Alex Gandy
- Bruce Gandy
- Alasdair Henderson
- Nick Hudson
- Finlay Johnston
- Alistair Lee, Coquitlam, British Columbia
- Jack Lee
- Stuart Liddell
- Angus D. MacColl
- Angus J. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland
- Ian K. MacDonald
- Cameron MacDougall
- Roddy MacLeod
- Willie McCallum
- Fred Morrison
- Sarah Muir
- Douglas Murray
- Allan Russell, Kelty, Scotland
- Connor Sinclair
- Iain Speirs
- Craig Sutherland
Judges: Robert Barnes, Donald MacPhee, Robert Wallace
Thursday, Aug. 27
A-Grade 2/4 March and Strathspey & Reel (winners of one of the events denoted)
- Bobby Allen, Chryston, Scotland
- Cameron Bonar
- Glenn Brown (S&R only)
- Gordon Bruce
- Sandy Cameron
- Greig Canning
- Ross Conner
- Seumas Coyne, Mentone, California
- John Dew
- Andrew Donlon
- Ben Duncan (2/4 March only)
- Brendan Eade
- Stuart Easton
- Michael Fitzhenry
- Jamie Forrester
- Andrew Hayes
- Jenny Hazzard, Edinburgh
- Nick Hudson (2/4 March only)
- Liam Kernaghan
- Steven Leask
- Angus J. MacColl (S&R only)
- Ian K. MacDonald (2/4 March only)
- Cameron MacDougall (2/4 March only)
- Cameron May
- Ben McClamrock
- Sean McKeown
- Derek Midgley
- Callum Moffat, Lockerbie, Scotland
- Fred Morrison (2/4 March only)
- Sarah Muir (S&R only)
- Craig Muirhead, Stirling, Scotland
- Bradley Parker
- Connor Sinclair (S&R only)
- Innes Smith
- Iain Speirs (S&R only)
- Darach Urquhart
- Calum Watson, Bathgate, Scotland
- Brodie Watson-Massey
- Campbell Wilson
- Greg Wilson
- Callum Wynd
2/4 March judges: Jimmy Banks, Robert Barnes, Murray Henderson
Strathspey & Reel judges: Barry Donaldson, Ian Duncan, Derek Fraser
B-Grade 2/4 March and Strathspey & Reel (winners of one of the events denoted)
- Fraser Allison, Balfron, Scotland
- Joe Biggs
- Keith Bowes, Erskine, Scotland
- Alistair Brown
- Ruairidh Brown
- Kyle Cameron
- Eireann Cameron
- Callum Carn
- Joshua Chandler, Victoria, Australia
- Kristopher Coyle, Antrim, Northern Ireland
- Callum Davidson, Broxburn, Scotland
- Jacob Dicker
- Piers Dover, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Bobby Durning
- Jamie Elder, Auchtermuchty, Scotland
- Andrew Ferguson, Dollar, Scotland
- James Frazer, Rathfriland, Northern Ireland
- Eddie Gaul
- Norman Gillies, Ullapool, Scotland
- Arran Green, Stirling, Scotland
- Andrew Hall, Glasgow
- Zephan Knichel, Washington, DC
- Anna Kummerlöw
- Dan Lyden
- Cameron MacLeod, Glasgow
- Angus MacPhee
- John McDonald
- James McPetrie
- Ross Miller
- Hector Munro, London
- Dan Nevans, Glasgow
- Louis Newman, Auckland, New Zealand
- Liam Nicolson
- Matt Pantaleoni
- Andrew Pattison
- Ryan Praskovich, Columbus, Ohio
- Jonathon Simpson
- Andrew Smith
- Jack Williamson, Topeka, Kansas
- Intermediate
- Hugh Anderson
- Douglas Baird
- Arran Brown
- Alasdair Bullock
- Beatrix Carter
- Annabel Charlton, Pitlochry, Scotland
- Christopher Drummond
- Calum Dunbar
- Thomas Fallon
- Sam Foote
- Arran Green
- Fraser Hamilton
- Malachi Johannsen
- Abby Long
- Charlie Mack
- Arthur MacKay
- Peter MacKay
- Lewis Maxwell
- Christopher McCartan
- Ryan McCreadie
- Eala McElhinney
- Calan McGuigan
- Alex Pavlovic
- Lachlan Rennie
- Lily Robertson
- James Silcock
- Flora Stone
- Magnus Stone
- Jack Watson
- Alistair Williams
2/4 March judges: Euan Anderson, Peter Hunt, John Wilson
Strathspey & Reel judges: Patricia Henderson, Bob Worrall, Bill Wotherspoon
Intermediate MSR
- Hugh Anderson, Tobermory, Scotland
- Douglas Baird, Bathgate, Scotland
- Arran Brown, Campbeltown, Scotland
- Alasdair Bullock, Dalmally, Scotland
- Beatrix Carter, Washington, DC
- Annabel Charlton, Pitlochry, Scotland
- Christopher Drummond, Bathgate, Scotland
- Calum Dunbar, Inverness, Scotland
- Thomas Fallon, Inverleith, Scotland
- Sam Foote, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Arran Green
- Fraser Hamilton, Paisley, Scotland
- Malachi Johannsen, Modesto, California
- Charlie Mack, Port Seton, Scotland
- Arthur MacKay, Livingstone, Scotland
- Peter MacKay, Glasgow
- Lewis Maxwell, Alva, Scotland
- Christopher McCartan, Lochgilphead, Scotland
- Ryan McCreadie, Livingston, Scotland
- Eala McElhinney, Glasgow
- Calan McGuigan, Oban, Scotland
- Alex Pavlovic, Houston
- Lachlan Rennie, Dundee
- Lily Robertson, Oban, Scotland
- James Silcock, Falkirk, Scotland
- Flora Stone, Natick, Massachusetts
- Magnus Stone, Dollar, Scotland
- Jack Watson, Kilmarnock, Scotland
- Alistair Williams, Dunblane, Scotland
Judges: Alasdair Henderson, Ronnie McShannon
Jig (open to all Premier and A-Grade competitors; no order of play; judges are Alan Forbes and Donald MacKay)
Junior and Local events (for pipers younger than 18, and young pipers from the Argyllshire area, respectively) will be judged by Mike Cusack and Logan Tannock.
Stay tuned to pipes|drums for results from the Argyllshire Gathering as they become available.
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