Archive
pipes|drums is pleased to bring our followers daily Piping Live! images by Alister Sinclair, one of Scotland’s top photographers of the country’s flora and wildlife. Each day, Alister will share some of his favourite shots from the world’s biggest festival of piping, and he’ll be on the scene at Shotts […]
Iain MacDonald (Regina) reports from the Glasgow International Festival of Piping Glasgow city centre has, in places, been transformed into New York City for the filming of the next Spider-Man movie. As well as taking in the piping, many folks keep their eyes on filming locations, with large crowds peering […]
James Stone of Waterford City, Ireland, was the overall winner of the 2025 Gordon Duncan Memorial Piping Competition, held at the National Piping Centre as part of the Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping.
Our intrepid photographer’s curated shots of the wild life at the 2025 Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping on Tuesday, August 12th.
If the days are to have themes, then today started smartly with “Learn @ Live! with Louise Mulcahy.” Mulcahy is a masterful uilleann piper, flute player, and brilliant researcher and folklorist. Her primary interest is the story of women in uilleann piping, some of which has been made available online and through talks and exhibitions.
The Field Marshal Montgomery foursome won the 2025 International Quartet Competition held at the Strathclyde Suite of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, part of the Piping Live! festival.
Bedfordview, Johannesburg – July 26, 2025 – Trepidation. Unseasonal winter rain the night before the South African Pipe Band Championships had many concerned about what the conditions would be like come morning at St. Benedict’s College in Bedfordview, where the event would take place for the first time in its history. […]
Almost lost among the hubbub of Piping Live! were the British Solo Drumming Championships won by Inveraray & District’s Steven McWhirter with two firsts from the two judges.
pipes|drums is pleased to bring our followers daily Piping Live! images by our intrepid photographer, Alister Sinclair. Each day, Alister will share some of his favourite shots from the day from the world’s biggest festival of piping, and he’ll be on the scene at Shotts & Dykehead’s SOLAS concert and […]
Iain MacDonald (Regina) reports from the Glasgow International Festival of Piping Bob Dylan‘s iconic anthem to changing times, influenced by his love of traditional Irish and Scottish ballads, could be an appropriate theme for this year’s Piping Live! Festival, which began fully today at the National Piping Centre. The NPC […]
Alan Bevan of Abbotsford, British Columbia, won the overall trophy at the 2025 Masters Competition, the biggest solo piping contest of the 2025 Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping. Ten different prize-winners were awarded for the 10 different placings in the two events, so Bevan won the overall by winning the Piobaireachd event.
To get out in front of the annual post-World’s effort by many bands to find new leaders, the Grade 2 City of Edinburgh is already looking for its next leading-drummer after incumbent Simon Grant will step down amicably after the World Championships on August 16th. Grant chalked up his decision […]
Inveraray & District won the 2025 European Championship at South Inch Park, the third major competition of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s four-championship season. Ulster Scottish of Philadelphia won Grade 2 and featured two other North American bands, North Stratton of Edmonton, Canada, and the Los Angeles Scots in the prize list.
Artificial intelligence technology is affecting virtually every element of life, and, whether we ask for it or not, piping and drumming will not be excluded. Matt Fraser, Colin Johnstone and Brodie Watson-Massey discuss potential uses, benefits and implications of AI in the ultra-traditional art.
Brodie Watson-Massey is just starting his competitive piping trek, but even at the age of only 22, he’s amassed a collection of prizes that would be the envy most much older solo pipers. Originally from Edinburgh and now living in Glasgow, Watson-Massey’s first piping lessons were at George Heriot’s School, […]
Sandy Cameron won the Colonel Jock MacDonald Clasp for winners of the Dunvegan Medal at the Skye Gathering, and Alistair Brown won this year’s Dunvegan Medal. Steven Leask, Brodie Watson-Massey and Angus MacPhee also enjoyed top-drawer results.