Archive

SFU has performed their new medley several times at various games on the British Columbia Pipers’ Association circuit. It’s yet another fascinating and effective selection, with much of the band’s popular, trademark compositional and ensemble style intact, but with an injection of orchestration flair from the many creative minds in the band.

We mark the milestone with a list determined by experts . . .

The Alberta Society of Pipers & Drummers managed two of its bigger events in June: the Edmonton Scottish Society Highland Gathering on the 20th and the Red Deer Highland Games on the 27th. Daniel Lidgren of Calgary had excellent days at both competitions in the Professional solo piping, winning five […]

reat Lakes of Cleveland, Ohio, won the Grade 2 overall in the top band grade, while Capital City won Grade 4, and the 190th Highlanders won the well-entered Grade 5 competition at the 49th annual Ohio Scottish Games & Celtic Festival, which attracted a strong entry of 14 bands and 116 solo competitors. In the Open Solo Piping, Ryan Praskovich of Pittsburgh won the Piobaireachd; Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland, took the MSR; and Daniel Carr, Collingwood, Ontario, won both the Hornpipe & Jig and 6/8 March events.

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada – June 28, 2026 – Cameron Bonar of Surrey, British Columbia, captured the Open Overall Piping title at the Kamloops Highland Games against a good field of contestants, including Ann Gray of Calgary, who made a welcome return to the boards after several years away. Entries […]

Highland Society of London Gold Medallist and two-time Glenfiddich Champion, Finlay Johnston of Glasgow, has been appointed to the teaching faculty of the Bachelor of Traditional Music (Piping) degree program, operated jointly by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Piping Centre. Johnston succeeds Highland piping legend Willie McCallum […]

Field Marshal Montgomery of Northern Ireland won the 2026 European Pipe Band Championship against a field of seven other bands, with Northern Ireland’s Ravara not making the trip. It was Field Marshal Montgomery’s second major championship win of 2026, after winning the UK Championship in Belfast two weeks earlier. FMM also won their second consecutive drumming title.

Last year, IT whiz and pipe band supremo Matt Fraser combined his talents to create “MusoLink,” a free app for the piping and drumming community to record their practice routines, repertoire, goals and accomplishments. Now called “Octero,” the pipe-major of Melbourne’s Grade 1 Hawthorn is putting on another contest for […]

Field Marshal Montgomery’s new medley for 2026 is a six-and-a-half-minute epic journey through Gordon Duncan’s incredible library of musical brilliance. The selection of tunes and their arrangements pays homage to one of the most popular and profound creators in the Highland piping canon. The medley is intricate, nuanced and compelling, perfectly suited for an elite pipe band like Field Marshal Montgomery. In our conversation, Matt Wilson, Willie Glenholmes and Ben Duncan guide us through the band’s thought processes and objectives, and open our eyes and ears to the behind-the-scenes inner workings of a band at the top of their own creative game.   

The Grade 3 Greighlan Crossing was the overall winner in the top contests band event at the 2026 ScotFestBC Highland Games at Town Centre Park in warm and sunny weather.

The late, great John MacDougall was affectionately nicknamed “The Highland Hoover” for his knack of gathering up the prizes around the Scottish games circuit, but Ben Duncan of Edinburgh might be heir-apparent to the title with his latest success at the Aberdeen Highland Games. Duncan enjoyed a near-perfect day with three firsts at the Aberdeen Games, winning everything but the Piobaireachd, which was won by Norrie Gillies from Glasgow.

The Grade 2 Ottawa Highlanders won the top band competition, and Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario, won the Piper of the Day trophy in gleaming sunny and warm weather at the Northumberland Scottish Festival Highland Games held at the Agricultural Park close to the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

With a Piobaireachd win and a second in the MSR, Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, won the United States Piping Foundation Solo Piping Championship for a record ninth time against a field of 16 other contestants at Cedar Lane Unitarian Congregation. It was also the seventh time Gandy won the Piobaireachd event.

The Skagit Valley Highland Games & Celtic Festival in Mount Vernon, Washington, with the help of the late Celtic music mover-and-shaker Skye Richendrfer, and to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary this year, the total prize pool for pipe bands, solo pipers and drummers will be close to US$35,000. Not only that, […]

The Piping Live! festival is calling out to pipers (including practice chanter players), pipe band drummers and drum-majors of all ages and abilities to join the 2026 Big Band in aid of the My Name‘5 Doddie Foundation, the charity founded by a legendary Scottish rugby union player and prominent campaigner […]

The second part of our exclusive series of conversations with the musical leaders of the world’s top Grade 1 bands, discussing the construction, orchestration, arrangement, and intentions behind their new medley is Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia. The band was second at the 2026 British Championship at Ingliston, on […]