Alex Gandy victorious at Livingstone Invitational (video highlights)
Hamilton, Ontario – May 14, 2011 – Alex Gandy won his first William Livingstone Sr. Memorial Invitational Solo Piping Competition, playing in a new format for the decades-old event. Gandy won in a 20-minute performance in which all competitors were free to play whatever they wished, provided they included a March, Strathspey & Reel and the ground of a piobaireachd.
1st Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
2nd James P. Troy, Victoria, British Columbia
3rd Sean McKeown, Toronto
Also competing but not in the prizes were Michael Grey, Dundas, Ontario, and Doug MacRae, London, Ontario. Andy Rogers of Fredericton, New Brunswick, pulled out of the event. The judges were Andrew Berthoff and Bill Livingstone.
The competition was held in the Sergeants’ Mess at James Street Armoury, the base of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. The competition started at 7 pm and was finished by 10, with a standing-room-only crowd packing the large facility.
The organizers, the Niagara-Hamilton Branch of the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario, decide to change the format of the event, which had usually called for separate Piobaireachd and MSRHPJ events.
Congratulations Alex, brilliant news!
It seems that when Alex Gandy is done winning he likes to head for the Rockies! Well done man!
Congrats to Alex and all the players. Love the sporran, JP!
Congrats to all of the competitors, they sounded awesome last night and I couldn’t sort out who was most deserving of the prize – luckily we have judges for that. Does anyone know the name of the tune Alex Gandy started with? ….a beauty!
The tune is called Calum Rife’s Fanfare. It’s a great 6/8 march written by Rene Cusson from Vancouver Island. Rene is one of the great unsung composers that have come out of Canada. The tune ( see selfish promotional insert) is in my second book of music. Bruce Gandy
Hi Bruce — Thanks for letting me know the name of that great tune. I’ll look it up since I have all 4 of your books!