Kyle Shead wins 2026 CPA Bronze Medal

Glasgow – August 30, 2026 – Kyle Shead of Glasgow won the Competing Pipers’ Association’s Bronze Medal for Piobaireachd, held at the National Piping Centre’s Otago Street branch.

By winning, Shead gains automatic acceptance to the Silver Medal piobaireachd competitions at the 2027 Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting, should he enter.

The competition was launched by the CPA in 2022 as a means for pipers with a CPA B-minus Grade in Piobaireachd to get into the Silver Medals.

The winner of the Bronze Medal is assured of entry only the following year, and then has to go through the usual review process by a “Joint Vetting Committee” comprising representatives of the two gatherings, the Solo Piping Judges Association, and the CPA, who determine which applicants get one of the 25 spots in the Silver and Gold Medal events.

Pipers with a B-minus grading are unlikely to be accepted to the Silver Medals.

CPA Bronze Medal (28 competed)
1st Kyle Shead, “Farewell to the Laird of Islay”
2nd Ben Mulhearn, Troon, Scotland, “The Battle of Bealach nam Brog”
3rd Fraser Allison, Balfron, Scotland, “Lament for John Morrison of Assynt House”
4th Callum Dunbar, Inverness, Scotland, “The Earl of Seaforth’s Salute”
5th Callum Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia, “Nameless – Hiharin Dro o Dro”
Judges: Cameron Drummond, Roddy Livingstone, John Wilson

Also competing (alphabetical by last name): Gordon Barclay, Keith Bowes, Joshua Chandler, Chris Coyle, Piers Dover, James Feeney, Alex Gehrig, Norman Gillies, Jamie Hawke, Andrew Hutton, Cameron MacLeod, Lewis Maxwell, Karen McCrindle-Warren, Jamie McElmurry, Hector Munro, Alastair Murray, Dan Nevans, L. Newman, Ryan Praskovic, Jono Quay, Scott Wallace, and Jack Williamson.

From the 2026 Silver Medal Set Tunes list, here are the number of times each tune from the list was played:

• “Beloved Scotland” – five times
• “Farewell to the Laird of Islay” – 4
• “The Earl of Seaforth’s Salute” – 4
• “The Rout of Glenfruin” – 3
• “Nameless- Hiharin Dro o Dro” – 2
• “Lament for John Morrison of Assynt House” – 2
• “The Battle of Bealach Nom Brog” 2
• “Lament for the Iolaire” – 1
• “Lament for the Castle of Dunyveg” – 1
• “The King’s Taxes” – 0