Steven Leask wins 2026 Silver Chanter

Sleat, Isle of Skye, Scotland – August 5, 2026 – 2025 Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medallist Steven Leask of East Kilbride, Scotland, won the 2026 Silver Chanter for Piobaireachd, playing “Lament for MacLeod of Colbeck” for lone judge Niall Matheson at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Gaelic College.

Only one prize is awarded in the event, which has been held annually since 1967, the brainchild of Seumas MacNeill as a way to honour the legacy of the MacCrimmon dynasty of piobaireachd composers.

Also competing: Alastair Brown, Ayr, Scotland (qualified via the 2025 Dunvegan Medal), “I Got a Kiss of the King’s Hand”; Sandy Cameron, Roybridge, Scotland (2025 Clasp to the Dunvegan Medal), “The Earl of Ross’s March”; Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland (2025 Argyllshire Gathering Senior Piobaireachd & 2025 Northern Meeting Clasp) “Lament for the Earl of Antrim”; Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey (second in 2025 Dunvegan Medal Clasp), “Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon”; and Brodie Watson-Massey, Edinburgh (2025 Northern Meeting Gold Medal), “Lament for the Children”.

At the competition, each competitor was given one piobaireachd to play from a list of tunes attributed to or closely identified with the MacCrimmons, the legendary family of hereditary bagpipers who served the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod on the Isle of Skye from the 16th century onward. The current hereditary piper is Calum MacCrimmon, who plays with the Celtic folk group Breabach.

The result was announced just before 11 pm.