McQuillan seeks third title, McWhirter continues record chase at 2026 World Solo Drumming Championships

Glasgow Caledonian University will once again be the venue for the World Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championships on Saturday, October 17, 2026, featuring the 33 competitors who qualified for the semi-final heats through seven competitions around the world, including defending champion Kerr McQuillan of Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia and 12-time World Solo Drumming champion Steven McWhirter of Inveraray & District.

McQuillan, who first won the championship in 2023, will look for his third World Solo title, while McWhirter seeks his thirteenth, which would move him closer to the all-time record of 16 championships held by pipe band drumming legend Jim Kilpatrick.

The 33 adult competitors are split into two semi-finals: 17 in the first and 16 in the second. Both begin at noon; six drummers from each advance to the 12-player final.

The defending champion draws last in the first semi-final heat, while McWhirter is eighth to play in the second. Each heat includes six of the 12 finalists from the 2025 World Solos.

The MSR final competition begins at 3:25 pm, followed by the Hornpipe & Jig at 5:25 pm. The combined results will determine the 2026 World Solo Snare Drumming Champion.

The championships also include Juvenile snare and solo tenor drumming events. Jordan Bailie of Inveraray & District, who successfully defended his adult World Solo Tenor Drumming title in 2025, is among 13 competitors entered in this year’s adult tenor event.

Semi-Final Heat 1 (alphabetically by last name; placing in 2025 final in parentheses)

• Blair Beaton, Inveraray & District, Scotland (11th)
• Richard Black, Hawthorn, Australia (10th)
• Alex Buchanan, Field Marshal Montgomery, Northern Ireland
• Darren Brown, Inveraray & District, Scotland
• Stephen Creighton, St. Laurence O’Toole, Ireland (7th)
• Ashley Fyffe, Field Marshal Montgomery, Northern Ireland
• Jake Joergensen, ScottishPower, Scotland
• Cameron Lawson, Inveraray & District, Scotland
• Conor Lawlor, St. Laurence O’Toole, Ireland
• Eric MacNeill, City of Dunedin, USA
• Ewan McDonald, Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia, Scotland
• Gareth McLees, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, Scotland
• Kerr McQuillan, Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia, Scotland (1st)
• William Pastor, Manchester United, USA
• Elizabeth Shaw, Royal Burgh of Annan, Scotland
• Steven Shedden, Hawthorn, Australia (3rd)
• Shane Stapleton, Ulster Scottish, USA

Judges: Keith Orr, Duncan Millar, Alec Dudgeon

Semi-Final Heat 2

• Blair Brown, St. Thomas Alumni, USA (6th)
• Hollie Chalmers, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, Scotland
• Derek Cooper, Ulster Scottish, USA (9th)
• Glen Creighton, St. Laurence O’Toole, Ireland (12th)
• Willie Glenholmes, Field Marshal Montgomery, Northern Ireland (4th)
• Robert Graham, Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia, Scotland
• Craig Lawrie, Johnstone, Scotland (8th)
• Mark McKendrick, Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia, Scotland
• Steven McWhirter, Inveraray & District, Scotland (2nd)
• Arren McWilliams, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, Scotland
• Michael O’Rourke, New York Metro, USA
• Edward Roxburgh, Hawthorn, Australia
• Matthew Shaw, Ravara, Northern Ireland
• Gus Sicard, Inveraray & District, Scotland
• Chloe Taylor, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, Scotland
• Hamish Wallace, Hawthorn, Australia

Judges: David Brown, Arthur Cook, Ian Lawson

The two-event Final will be judged by Paul Brown, Allan Craig, Brian Martin, and Mark Wilson (MSR); and Jim Baxter, Stuart Coils, Adrian Hoy, and Lee Innes (Hornpipe & Jig); the competitor with the best aggregate score over the two events is awarded the most significant solo snare drumming prize in the pipe band world.

The competition also culminates the RSPBA’s eight-event league season, determining the Solo Drumming Champion of Champions for the year based on total points accrued over the eight contests.

The World Solo Drumming Championships are licensed by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association to Glasgow Life. Contractual terms have not been made public. Tickets are £11.20 for adults, while children get in for free.

No monetary awards are offered to prize winners, including the World Solo Champions.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for results from the 2026 World Solo Drumming Championships as they become available.