Celtic Connections’ piping program begins Wednesday

Glasgow’s Celtic Connections music festival, the annual winter music celebration in Scotland’s biggest city, begins its 10-day piping program on January 23rd, and will feature piping-related acts from around the world.

The festival, now in its thirteenth year, is seen as one of the major event on the Celtic music calendar, and has expanded its piping content over the last decade. Similar to the World’s Week festivities, Celtic Connections generally features a major pipe band concert at Royal Glasgow Concert Hall. This year’s event on January 26th will headline the Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band, with the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland.

The second annual Gordon Duncan Memorial Piping Competition will be on January 27 at the Central Station Hotel. The contest features sections in Scottish, Irish and Breton piping and the 2007 competition was won by Sylvain Hamon.

The full line-up of Celtic Connections piping events:

• January 23 – Stobo Village Band, Balkanopolis and Kries
• January 24 – Fred Morrison with Djärv
• January 25 – Breton pipe music with Jackie Pincet and Pierre Gallais
• January 26 – Boghall & Bathgate and the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland
• January 27 – Gordon Duncan Memorial Solo Piping Competition
• January 27 – Bagad Kemper “D’Ecosse en Cornouaille”
• January 27 – La Banda Europa pipers
• January 31 – Allan MacDonald and Friends
• February 1 – Breton Night of Piping
• February 2 – Fraser Fifield Band with the Nedyalko Nedyalkov Quartet, and Cora Smyth

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for more news from Celtic Connections 2008 as it becomes available.

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