McHattie Scores Double at Maxville

Maxville, Ont. – August 2, 2002 — James McHattie of Toronto won the Piobaireachd Society (Canada) Gold Medal here today against a field of 18 players with a performance of “Mrs. Smith’s Salute.” He also won the Open March, Strathspey & Reel contest.

The Maxville Gold Medal is perhaps the most prestigious piobaireachd prize in North America. Competitors have to choose piobaireachds from the Piobaireachd Society’s set tunes list. Unlike the major gatherings at Oban and Inverness, players have to submit only four tunes.

Gold Medal
1st James McHattie, “Mrs. Smith’s Salute”
2nd Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario
3rd Robert Crabtree
4th Andrew Rogers, Halifax, Nova Scotia
5th Jori Chisholm, Seattle
Judge: Jim McGillivray

Open MSR
1st James McHattie
2nd Jori Chisholm
3rd Andrew Douglas, New York
4th Andrew Bonar, Vancouver
5th Ken McEdnie, USA
Judge: Donald Lindsay

The “Bar,” piobaireachd event for previous winners of the Canada Gold Medal had an entry of only three players, Jack Lee, Surry, British Columbia; Iain Macey, Michigan; and Matthew Turnball, Michigan. Lee won the event playing “The Sutherlands’ Gathering.”

Jack Lee also went on to win the Former Winners MSR, although he had never actually won the Open MSR, presumably being allowed to play in both former winners events because of his having won the Highland Society of London Gold Medals and Silver Star MSR at Oban and Inverness.

The low entry was due primarily to the contest demanding that pipers play in both piobaireachd and light music events, thus precluding most of those who have won the Canada Gold Medal from competing, due to the fact that many also compete in the Gold Medal events at Inverness and Oban. This means they would have to have 10 piobaireachds from the set lists ready to play.

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