Northern Meeting 2026: Calum Brown wins Gold Medal; Silver Medal goes to Callum Carn; Clasp qualifiers announced; Chris Armstrong takes the Silver Star MSR

Inverness, Scotland – September 3, 2026 – Calum Brown of Peterculter, Scotland, won the 2026 Highland Society of London Gold Medal on the first day of the two-day 2026 Northern Meeting at Eden Court Theatre.

Sarah Muir of East Kilbride, Scotland, finished second, narrowly missing the first woman to win the award at the Northern Meeting. In 2010, Faye Henderson of Kirriemuir, Scotland, won the Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal, the first and only woman to gain either of the famous prizes.

Glasgow’s Calum Carn won the Silver Medal. With it, he gets a bye to compete in the Highland Society of London Gold Medal competitions at Oban and Inverness for the next two years.

Kyle Cameron of Tobermory, Scotland, won the B-Grade MSR, thus moving himself into the A-Grade MSR beginning in 2027 and forevermore.

Chris Armstrong of Glasgow won the Silver Star Former Winners’ MSR, the last announced result of the day. With the win, he gains an invitation to the Glenfiddich. By many accounts, the event’s standard was spectacularly high.

Brown and Armstrong gain invitations to the 2026 Glenfiddich Championship on October 31st, joining Alasdair Henderson (Masters winner); Finlay Johnston (Bratach Gorm winner and FWMSR Oban winner); Stuart Liddell (Glenfiddich 2025 and 2025 London Champion); Sean McKeown (Oban Gold Medal); Iain Speirs (second in the Oban Senior Piobaireachd); and Greg Wilson (Senior Piobaireachd winner).

Earlier, the finalists were announced after two qualifying heats to determine the 12 pipers to compete in the Clasp for winners of a Highland Society of London Gold Medal. Among those who did not qualify is a who’s who of the world’s greatest players, including previous Clasp winners.

The winner of the Clasp final on Friday, if he hasn’t already qualified, will get the ninth spot in the Glenfiddich. If the Clasp winner previously qualified, the second prizewinner in the Clasp is next in line. After that, the second prizewinner in the Silver Star would be next, but that’s Finlay Johnston, who has qualified twice already. So, the next in the pecking order is the second prizewinner in the Former Winners MSR at Oban: Ian K. MacDonald of Whitby, Ontario.

Highland Society of London Gold Medal
1st Calum Brown, Peterculter, Scotland, “Port Urlar”
2nd Sarah Muir, East Kilbride, Scotland, “Fare Thee Well, Donald”
3rd Ben Duncan, Edinburgh, “The Finger Lock”
4th Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC, “Lady MacDonald’s Lament”
5th Stuart Easton, Palmerston North, New Zealand, “Lady MacDonald’s Lament”
Judges: Patricia Henderson, Donald MacPhee, Bill Wotherspoon

Also competing: Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, Scotland; Kyle Cameron; Sandy Cameron, Roybridge, Scotland; Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh; Brendon Eade, New Zealand; Jamie Elder, Auchtermuchty, Scotland; Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland; Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Steven Leask, East Kilbridev; Alastair Lee, Surrey, British Columbia; Cameron MacDougall, Nigg, Scotland; Angus MacPhee, Inverness, Scotland; Cameron May, Lesmahagow, Scotland; Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC; Gordon McCready, Paisley, Scotland; John McDonald, Aberdeen, Scotland; Sean McKeown, Bowmanville, Ontario; Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey; Darach Urquhart, Glasgow; and Callum Wynd, Dunblane, Scotland.

Silver Medal
1st Callum Carn
2nd Ross Miller, Linlithgow, Scotland
3rd Cameron Bonar, Surrey, British Columbia
4th Bradley Parker, Chapelhall, Scotland
5th John Dew, Glasgow
Judges: Ian Duncan, Alan Forbes, Peter Hunt

Also competing: Joe Biggs, Ajax, Ontario; Alistair Brown, Isle of Skye, Scotland; Ruairidh Brown, Dunblane, Scotland; Eireann Cameron, Glasgow; Greig Canning, Kirkcaldy, Scotland; Ross Conner, Campbeltown, Scotland; Jacob Dicker, Maxville, Ontario; Bobby Durning, Texas; Michael Fitzhenry, Paisley, Scotland; Eddie Gaul, Dundee, Scotland; Liam Kernaghan, Wellington, New Zealand; Zephan Knichel, Lynwood, Washington; Anna Kummerlöw, Kladrum, Germany; Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland; Ed McIlwaine, Vancouver; James McPetrie, Aboyne, Scotland; R Andrew Pattison, Troon, Scotland; Jonathon Simpson, Bo’ness, Scotland; Andrew Smith, Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland; and Campbell Wilson, Czech Republic.

B-Grade March, Strathspey & Reel
1st Kyle Cameron
2nd Anna Kummerlöw, Kladrum, Germany
3rd Fraser Allison, Stirling, Scotland
4th Ross Miller
5th Zephan Knichel, Lynwood, Washington
Judges: Lewis Barclay, Patrick Grant, John Wilson

Also competing: Joe Biggs; Keith Bowes, Erskine; Alistair Brown; Ruairidh Brown; Eireann Cameron; Callum Carn; Josh Chandler, New Zealand; Kristopher Coyle, Northern Ireland; Callum Davidson, Broxburn; Jacob Dicker; Piers Dover, New Zealand; Bobby Durning; Jamie Elder; Andrew Ferguson, Dollar; James Frazer, Northern Ireland; Eddie Gaul; Norman Gillies, Edinburgh; Andrew Hall, Glasgow; Dan Lyden; Cameron MacLeod, Glasgow; Angus MacPhee; John McDonald; James McPetrie; Hector Munro, London; Dan Nevans, Barnhill; Louis Newman, New Zealand; Angus Nicolson, Fort William; Liam Nicolson, Melbourne; Matt Pantaleoni, St. Louis; Andrew Pattison; Ryan Praskovich, Pittsburgh; Mike Rogers, Maryland; Jonathon Simpson; Andrew Smith; and Jack Williamson, Topeka, Kansas.

Clasp – Heat 1
Qualifiers (alphabetical by last name): Chris Armstrong, Glasgow; Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia; Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland; Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland; Colin MacLellan, Edinburgh; Iain Speirs, Edinburgh.
Judges: Robert Barnes, Ronnie McShannon

Also competing: Glenn Brown, Glasgow; Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland; Nick Hudson, Houston; Steven Leask, East Kilbride, Scotland; Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland; Mike Rogers, Silver Spring, Maryland; John-Angus Smith, London; Greg Wilson, New Zealand.

Clasp – Heat 2
Qualifiers (alphabetical by last name): Callum Beaumont, Guardbridge, Scotland; Alan Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia; Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario; Alasdair Henderson, Edinburgh; Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario; and Connor Sinclair, Crieff, Scotland.
Judges: Mike Cusack, Robert Wallace

Also competing: Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh; Stuart Easton, Palmerston North, New Zealand; Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Finlay Johnston, Glasgow; Peter McCalister, Dunblane, Scotland; Fred Morrison, Bishopton, Scotland; Douglas Murray, Cupar, Scotland; Innes Smith, Sheriffmuir, Scotland; and Brodie Watson-Massey, Edinburgh.

Silver Star Former Winners’ March, Strathspey & Reel
1st Chris Armstrong, Glasgow, “The Lochaber Gathering,” “The Crags of Stirling, “John MacDougall-Gillies,” “Neil Sutherland of Lairg,” “Gena MacLeod,” “Alick Cameron, Champion Piper”
2nd Finlay Johnston, Glasgow, “Inveran,” “Major Manson at Clachantrushal,” “Maggie Cameron,” “Cabar Feidh,” “The Sheepwife,” “Alick Cameron, Champion Piper”
3rd Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland, “Bonnie Ann,”Farewell to the Blackmount Forest,” “Lady Louden,” “Glentruim,” “The Highlander’s Institute,” “The Cockerel in the Creel”
4th Callum Beaumont, Guardbridge, Scotland
5th Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “Colin Beag,” “Major Manson at Clachantrushal,” “John Roy Stewart,” “Bob of Fettercairn,” “Neil Angus MacDonald,” “Donald Maclean”
Judges: Jimmy Banks, Murray Henderson, Bob Worrall

Also competing: Alan Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia; Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh; Ben Duncan, Edinburgh; Brendon Eade, New Zealand; Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario; Alasdair Henderson, Edinburgh; Nick Hudson, Houston; Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia; Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland; Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario; Roddy MacLeod, Glasgow; Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland; Gordon McCready, Paisley, Scotland; Fred Morrison, Bishopton, Scotland; Sarah Muir, East Kilbride, Scotland; Douglas Murray, Cupar, Scotland; Allan Russell, Kelty, Scotland; Iain Speirs, Edinburgh; and Greg Wilson, Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Northern Meeting concludes Friday, September 4th, with the Clasp final, A-Grade MSR, P/A Hornpipe & Jig, B-Grade Hornpipe & Jig and Junior competitions.