Pipers Club Atlantic starts up in Nova Scotia

Atlantic Canada is cold and snowy over the long Maritimes winter and the Dartmouth & District Pipe Band Association has decided to do something to warm things up even more with the launch of the newly formed Pipers Club Atlantic, a series of events to take advantage of the rich piping and drumming tradition in the region.

The Old Triangle Alehouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will be the host venue of the first meeting on Saturday, January 28th where the community will hopefully come out to socialize and share music with each other in a non-competition setting. The Celtic roots and traditional music scene in Canada’s Maritimes is probably the richest in North America, with festivals dotting the Atlantic provinces throughout the year.

“The off-season in Canada can be difficult for bands,” said to Scott Long, pipe-major of the Grade 2 Dartmouth & District and president of the group’s overall association. “Keeping people motivated and playing is a challenge. Pipers Club is way for our pipe band community to socialize and more importantly keep the hands going during the cold winter months.”

The new Pipers Club Atlantic is conscious of working together with the Halifax Citadel’s Mini-Gatherings, organized by the famous piper Bruce Gandy, so the group is aligning its three events to follow the gatherings with an aim to attract more interest and participation on both sides.

The start of Pipers Club Atlantic is the latest in a recent resurgence of non-competition groups in piping and drumming. The successfully resurrection of the Eagle Pipers Society in Edinburgh in 2009 seemed to kick-start other gatherings in areas like Pittsburgh and New York City.

+ Eagles rise again in Edinburgh

+ Pittsburgh pipers tune in to PBS

Long added that the hope is that the organization of the Pipers Club Atlantic events in time also will be taken up by others not in his band and has a completely inclusive approach. He foresees the sessions featuring up-and-coming amateur pipers, duos, quartets, mini-bands, a professional solo performer and a traditional Celtic music artist/group.

There are three dates scheduled:

• Saturday, January 28th
  Featured solo piper – James MacHattie
  Quartet – College of Piping
  Featured ceilidh performance with Ben Miller and Anita MacDonald
• Saturday, March 4th
  Guest pipe band – 12 Wing Shearwater
  Featured solo piper – Bruce Gandy
  Quartet – 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel)
  Featured ceilidh performance with Shannon Quinn
• Saturday, April 8th
  Piping duet – James Dyson & Blaise Theriault
  Featured solo piper – Kevin Dugas
  Quartet – Dartmouth & District Pipe Band
  Featured ceilidh performance with Alycia Putnam

Tickets are available individually or as a packaged, along with a Pipers Club Atlantic membership card.

Scott Long is also Executive Director of Music Nova Scotia, a non-profit organization encourages the creation, development, growth and promotion of Nova Scotia’s music industry.