Archive
Invercargill, New Zealand – March 6-7, 2025 – After two days of competitions, it was Manawatu Scottish who were awarded the 2025 New Zealand Championship against a field of five other Grade 1 bands. St. Andrews College of Christchurch won the Grade 2 championship. Manawatu’s win ended the five-year run […]
For decades, pipes|drums has spotlighted not only women and girls in piping and drumming but also the challenges they have encountered and continue to face as our tradition-based piping and drumming culture moves away from male-dominated mores that naturally evolved from military and conservative roots. For International Women’s Day (IWD) […]
Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia have been one of the UK off-season’s most prominent newsmakers, and they look to continue to keep the spotlight focused with tickets going on sale for the 2025 “Pre-World’s Concert” at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Concert organizers Glasgow Skye Association confirmed the event, which had […]
Piping and drumming zealots in the Northern Hemisphere can go on a two-day bender of pipe band competition with the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands’ Association’s free live stream of the New Zealand Championships over 48 hours March 7-8 (New Zealand time) in Invercargill, New Zealand. Some 57 bands from […]
The old adage “When America sneezes, the world catches a cold” might be adapted to the pipe band world and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, given the organization’s influence on how other associations operate their band events. The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s 2025 annual general meeting, held in […]
On March 5th at 1 pm PT, the Grade 3 City of Angels of Los Angeles members will be special guests on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the hugely popular talk show syndicated worldwide. Following a performance of “Scotland the Brave” by Pipe-Major Trevor Takahashi, Lead-Drummer Lei Lucas, and bass drummer […]
The Saskatchewan Pipe Band Association has officially operated for over thirty years but traces its roots back to 1969 when the Prairie Pipe Band Association started with three branches: Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In 1992, the branches formed distinct associations. Piping and drumming have been part of Saskatchewan’s culture for […]
After 16 years in the role, Grade 2 Peel Regional Police Pipe Band Pipe-Major John Cairns will retire after the 2025 competition season, handing the reins to Pipe-Sergeant Mike Allegretti as the organization again implements its carefully planned leadership succession plan designed to bring continuity to the multi-band organization. “As […]
The third annual Jimmy McIntosh MBE Piobaireachd Workshop in Pittsburgh attracted 34 students of all ages and abilities over the final weekend in February to be immersed in the big music of the Highland pipes with instructors/recitalists Andrew Carlisle, Peter Kent, Alex MacIntyre, and Mike Rogers, each a student of […]
The latest in-person contest of CLASP (the Competition League for Adult Solo Pipers) saw John Nevans, Adam Aitchison, and Lou Reid win the overall trophies in Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3, respectively, at the National Piping Centre.
The 2025 Scottish solo piping year started as usual with the Uist & Barra Invitational. Stuart Liddell of Inveraray, Scotland, nailed down the overall trophy with first and second prizes in the MSR and Hornpipe & Jig events, respectively, winning on MSR preference in a tie with Ben Duncan of Edinburgh. Angus MacColl (the older one) was first in the Piobaireachd.
Bill Livingstone’s passing on February 22, 2025, a month short of what would have been his eighty-third birthday, was met with profound sadness throughout the piping and drumming world. Eleven of those who were among the closest to him in the piping and drumming world contribute their thoughts and photos.
After surveying member bands, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association has decided to keep the UK Pipe Band Championships in Edinburgh on the original July 12th date rather than move the event to May 3rd. RSPBA Chief Executive Colin Mulhern sent a message to band representatives explaining that the survey […]
The Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) held its first “live online” solo piing competition of 2025, and it was Brady Webb (Grade 1), Jared Ong (Grade 2), Aaron Langwiesner (Grade 3) and Maureen Moore (Grade 4) who won the overall awards.
The annual invitational indoor competitions sponsored by the Uist & Barra Association of Glasgow are ready once again to mark the start of the Scottish solo piping season this year on Saturday, March 1st, at the National Piping Centre’s Otago Street location. Vying for 100-year-old-plus trophies that display many of […]
Pipe music collections of compositions associated with great military regiments like the Scots Guards, Queen’s Own Highlanders, Irish Rangers, and, more recently, Royal Scots and Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders are among the most remarkable and most substantial in the piping library. Now Connor Jardine, Cameron May and Dan Nevans are […]