“100% Collective” all-women band resolves to shine a light on pipe band equity and perseverance

“What would it be like if we played together, and not just stood together?”

That’s the central question that the new “100% Collective” wants to address by bringing together 30 women from the world’s Grade 1 bands and Celtic folk musicians from around the world, who will perform for the first time October 23-25 at Festival Presqu’île Breizh, a major cultural event in Quiberon, Brittany, France, attended by more than 25,000 in 2025.

“These performances have been in preparation since June, and the logistical planning since November 2025,” said piper Eilidh MacDonald, who has coordinated the 100% Collective. “We have an amazing group of women coming together, and we’re working hard to prepare material for several performances at the festival.”

The Collective grew out of the “7% Set” performed as part of Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia’s 2025 SOLAS Pre-World’s concert. That project pulled together females in UK- and Ireland-based Grade 1 bands, representing only seven percent of the total number of members.

After the concert, Festival Presqu’île Breizh reached out to see if a full pipe band might perform at their event, and the result is now a combination of available all-star Grade 1 players from around the globe:

Pipers: Emma Buchan, Scotland; Katie Buckland, Canada; Annabel Charlton, Scotland; Bonnie Hamilton, United States; Jenny Hazzard, Canada; Margaret Houlihan, Ireland; Tori Killoran, Canada; Barbara MacDonald, Canada; Eilidh MacDonald, Canada; Robyn Ada McKay, Scotland; Catriona Norman, Scotland; Beth Preston, Northern Ireland; and Morgan Tabuteau, New Zealand.

Snares: Hollie Chalmers, Scotland; Amanda Colwell, Canada; Taylor King, Canada; Elena Le Guellec, France; Elizabeth Shaw, Canada; Chloe Taylor, Scotland; and Bryde Whelan, Canada.

Bass Section: Becky Anderson, Scotland; Bethany Jack, Ireland; Molly MacDonald, United States; Zara Pate, Scotland; and Skye Wishart, Scotland.

Drum Major: Emma Barr, Northern Ireland

Accompaniment: Sophie Joint (piano), Scotland; Manon Martin (drums), France; and Anja MacLennan (guitar), Scotland.

Due at least in part to the exclusionary all-male tradition of pipe bands that stemmed from the military, police forces and even the Masonic order, all-women pipe bands were relatively common in the UK and Commonwealth countries until the 1980s.

The Deeside Ladies were the only all-woman band to attain official Grade 1 status in 1986, when the Aberdeen, Scotland-based group was promoted to the top class by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.

The Deeside Ladies never competed in Grade 1 because the departure of the band’s leaders caused a collapse in numbers, pushing the group into a hiatus from which it never returned.

The first woman to compete with the Grade 1 band was Jennifer Hutcheon, a member of the Glasgow-based Red Hackle for several years beginning in 1970, later joining Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia and then Polkemmet, where she was pipe-sergeant for several years in the early 1990s before committing her piping life to teaching and judging.

“We’re very thankful to the Festival Presqu’île Breizh for hiring the band to play, and for the many supporters who have stepped forward, including a set of chanters donated by Broadley Bagpipes, bagcovers donated by McCallum Bagpipes, Bagad Brieg loaning their drums, grant support from Creative Scotland, logistical and staff support from the National Piping Centre, among others. A full listing is available on our website, as well as the bios for the amazing women who were able to come to play.”

MacDonald said the 100 Percent Collective name reflects that the band is, and will always be, 100 percent women and gender minorities.

The project follows news that some 30 female pipers and drummers under 21 will perform at the Scotland v Australia Women’s Rugby International match at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on September 26th.