Archive

Walter J. Cowan passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 15, 2026, in Annan, Scotland. Born in Annan on August 7, 1936, he became one of the most influential pipers, pipe-majors and senior light music judges of his generation, as well as a foundational figure in the piping traditions […]

The Saskatchewan Highland Gathering & Celtic Festival took place Friday and Saturday, with worrisome bouts of snow, rain and wind threatening in the days leading up to the event, and even Saturday early morning had snow on the ground in Regina. And yet, the day started cool and clear, and gradually turned to sunshine and moderate warmth, making for a great day of competition.

In the penultimate installment, the Ontario piping and drumming scene is changing rapidly. As the pressure to grow increases, more pipe bands look to mergers in order to prosper or even survive, including Elliott’s Grade 1 Toronto & District and Tom Anderson’s Peel Regional Police, and a short time after, Clan MacFarlane and the Toronto Police.

For the first time, two competitors from abroad will perform at the 2026 Captain John A. MacLellan MBE Memorial Dinner on August 29th at the black-tie event at the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh. Derek Midgley of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and Craig Sutherland from Vancouver are on the bill with […]

Exclusively for subscribers, our reviewer discovers a unique blend of culture and community in the new production from the current edition of the world’s original youth pipe band project

Winning both events, Sean McKeown of Toronto was the clear winner of the 2026 Livingstone Invitational Solo Piping Competition held at the Officers’ Mess of the John Weir Foote Armoury.

Winning the Piobaireachd and placing in the MSR and Jig events, Colin MacNeill of Edinburgh was the overall winner of the 2026 Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society Annual Solo Piping Competition at the RSPS Rooms at 127 Rose Street North Lane in Scotland’s capital city centre.

After a long, cold, lonely winter, the bell finally rings at Gourock, Scotland, on Sunday, May 10th for the beginning of the northern hemisphere’s 2026 outdoor pipe band season. Fifty-one bands across all grades are entered at the “minor” RSPBA competition, governed by the association’s Glasgow & West of Scotland […]

Any pipe band that can last 100 years deserves a blowout celebration, and Northern Ireland’s Grade 3A Cloughfin is marking its centenary with a concert at the Burnavon Theatre in Cookstown on May 9th. Not only will there be performances by the band, but they’ve got Stuart Liddell and Steven […]

The 2026 edition of Piping Live! is adding drumming to its programming with the Drum Corps Series, with one of four Grade 1 pipe band percussion sections performing at the festival’s Centre Stage at 1 pm beginning on Monday, August 10th. Monday: Simon Fraser University Tuesday: Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia […]

Sarah Muir of East Kilbride, Scotland, was the overall Premier and A-Grade winner at the annual Highlands & Islands Solo Piping Competition, organized by the Netherlorn Piping Society and held indoors at Oban High School. Muir won the MSR and was third in the Piobaireachd, and was the only competitor to feature in both prize lists. Brodie Watson-Massey of Edinburgh won the Piobaireachd.

Nick Hudson of Houston was the overall winner of the 2026 Ian Swinton Open Solo Piping Competition, with a first in the Piobaireachd and a third in the MSR, the only player to feature in both prize lists. Jack Williamson of Topeka, Kansas, won the MSR event.

Steven Shedden of Melbourne, Australia, won the 2026 RSPBA Oceania Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championship held at St. Andrew’s College, the fifth event in the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s eight-contest league to determine a Champion of Champions title.

2023 World Champions Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia are set to perform on Saturday, May 2nd, in Aberdeen, an annual pre-season event presented by the Bucksburn & District Pipe Band organization. The concert will be held at the Aberdeen Music Hall, starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets are priced at […]

As the piping and drumming world searches for ways to convince more young people to learn, we realized that, with a little focus, there’s a ready-made benefit that could be compelling to any parent not yet convinced.

The redoubtable Ross Miller is dropping his latest single, “Would Paddy Not Dance?”, featuring his familiar-but-always-new Highland piping creativity, on April 30th across all major streaming platforms. The track isn’t just Miller on the Highland pipes, but combines everyone in the Ross Miller Band: Charlie Stewart (fiddle), Graeme Armstrong (guitar), […]