Alex Gandy sweeps Queen Mary decks

Long Beach, California – February 13-14, 2010 – Alex Gandy of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, won all three Professional Solo Piping events at the annual Queen Mary Scottish Festival, against a field of 12 other competitors. The solo competitions are held on the decks and within the dry-docked ocean liner, which has served as a hotel for several decades since being decommissioned. Gandy recently joined the Grade 1 LA Scots Pipe Band, which performed as a guest band throughout the weekend.

In the band competitions, Prince Charles of San Francisco returned to the scene to win both Grade 2 events.

Bands
Grade 2
MSR
1st Prince Charles
2nd Coyne Memorial

Medley
1st Prince Charles
2nd Coyne Memorial

Grade 3
MSR
1st Irish Pipers
2nd Mesa Caledonia
3rd Pasadena Scots

Medley
1st Irish Pipers
2nd Mesa Caledonia
3rd Nicholson

Grade 4
Quick March Medley
1st UC Riverside
2nd Cameron Highlanders
3rd Pacific Coast Highlanders

Medley
1st UC Riverside
2nd Cameron Highlanders
3rd Irish Pipers

Professional Solo Piping
Piobaireachd
1st Alex Gandy
2nd Kenny Sutherland, Menlo Park, California
3rd Seamus Coyne, Van Nuys, California

Judge: Bruce Hitchings

MSR
1st Alex Gandy
2nd Cameron Scott
3rd Colin Armstrong, Los Angeles

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Alex Gandy
2nd Ian Whitelaw, Redondo Beach, California
3rd Seamus Coyne

Judge: John Elliott

Professional Solo Snare Drumming
1st Duncan McPherson
2nd Bryce Parker
3rd Richard Baughman