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The usual big entry in the solo piping at the Perth Highland Games was even bigger this year, and weather was generally good, except for a 10-minute lash of rain that caught a few unlucky players. Andrew Bonar from British Columbia had the best overall day and took home the trophy. Light music was broken into heats.
The first competition event of the 2013 Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping was the Masters Invitational Solo Piping contest held at the National Piping Centre’s auditorium where Jack Lee of Surrey, British Columbia, emerged as the overall winner with a win in the MSR and a second-prize in the Piobaireachd, which Callum Beaumont won, just a few days after taking the Silver Chanter at Skye. Lee gains an invitation to the Glenfiddich Championship in October at Blair Atholl, Scotland. Invitation lists varied between the two events.
Since its inception in 2004, the Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival has gone from its origins as a small “Piping Hot” series of recitals to by far the biggest collective event . . .
Edinburgh residents Iain Speirs and Cameron Drummond each took home £300 for winning the Piobaireachd and MSR events at the North Berwick Games in overcast but fairly warm conditions.
Willie McCallum won the Lochaber Gold Axe (An Tuagh Oir) for piobaireachd, and also the Strathspey & Reel in the top solo piping events at the annual Lochaber Gathering at the Nevis Centre on Scotland’s west coast.
Robert Gibb and Steve Watterson had the best days in the senior piping at the annual Atholl & Breadalbane Gathering in cloudy but warm and dry weather.
Callum Beaumont was awarded the Silver Chanter in his first appearance in the prestigious event at a packed drawing room at Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye. His tune was “Lament for the Earl of Antrim.”
Andrew Carlisle won the overall Trophee MacCrimmon for music from Scotland, Brittany and Ireland, on the Sunday, and then took the Open Piobaireachd event on Monday. In the light music, competitors had to play all three selections consecutively, resulting in the audience remaining throughout the competition . . .
wenty turned out to compete in the senior solo piping at the annual Ballater Games in the shadow of Balmoral Castle, where Greig Canning, Derek Midgley and Greig Wilson won the Piobaireachd, March and Strathspey & Reel, respectively . . .
Michael Elder won the Dunvegan Medal and Innes Smith the Colonel Jock Clasp, while Roddy MacLeod snagged two of the light music firsts at the annual Skye Gathering . . .
Although he didn’t win an event, John Mulhearn enjoyed the most consistency overall at the annual Mallaig & Morar Highland Games, this year held down the road at Morar. Organizers added a fifth in each event with the larger-than-usual entry . . .
Eleven competed in mixed conditions at the Killin Games, where Greig Canning, Craig Muirhead and Matt Wilson soaked up the firsts.
Bruce Jones of London Ontario, a member of the Grade 5 Forest City Celtic Pipe Band and valued member of the London Fire Fighters Pipe Band, died on August 3, 2013, at the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville, Ontario. Immediately following the band’s competition performance Bruce did not feel well […]
No piper or drummer’s trip to Scotland in August is complete without checking out at least a few Grade 1 band practices leading up to the World Championships on August 17-18. For the dozenth consecutive year, pipes|drums Magazine brings our faithful readers the practice and appearance schedules of the top bands competing at the big event.
Alan Russell of Fife enjoyed a solid day at a warm but blustery Aboyne Highland Games against 12 other pipers, winning the Piobaireachd and thr March, and placing second in the Strathspey & Reel.
Harry’s been awash in all the rain of late, and he had to cancel last week’s darts match. Thankfully, none of the mates were coming anyway, and no one was left standing in the rain. The same could not be said of folks showing up to attend the St. Andrew’s […]