Archive
Although New Zealand’s geography and population are relatively small, with its five actively competing Grade 1 bands, the country is eclipsed only by Scotland and Northern Ireland regarding depth of piping and drumming talent per capita, largely due to a strong commitment to teaching. The six-band City of Invercargill organization […]
The 2025 edition of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland will take the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall stage on Saturday, April 19th. 87 pipers and drummers ages 10 to 25 will showcase the music they’ve worked on since first meeting last October. The group has announced discounted ticket prices […]
While the hundred or so pipers who pursue such endeavours are still refining their 2025 tunes, the Piobaireachd Society has announced its annual recommendations and requirements for the world’s most significant ceòl mòr events of 2026, giving them 15 months to prepare. Approximately 60 pipers are accepted to compete in […]
Angus D. MacColl was the overall winner of the 2025 Pipe-Major Donald MacLeod Memorial Invitational Solo Piping Competition, held once again at the Caladh Inn to an enthusiastic crowd.
Kerr McQuillan received two first places from thre two judges to win the 2025 Scottish Solo Snare Drumming Championship held at Inveralmond Community High School and organized by the Lothian & Borders Branch o0f the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.
How does a blond, blue-eyed, 6’1″ teenage surfer from Southern California become the most-heard piper on earth? The musical life of Eric Rigler, a resident of the Southwest Los Angeles County suburb of Torrance, California, is an extraordinary story. As a piper who has composed for and performed on the scores and soundtracks of some […]
As Piping Instructor with the College of Piping & Celtic Performing Arts in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Kylie MacHattie has taught hundreds of players—younger, older, beginner, advanced—over the 15 years since she moved “down east” to Canada’s smallest but perhaps most idyllic province. Originally from British Columbia, MacHattie’s piping resume […]
“I’m Proud to Play a Pipe,” “King James VI’s Salute,” “Lady Margaret MacDonald’s Salute,” “Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay,” and “The MacDonalds’ Salute” (“Fannet”) are the latest additions to the series
The annual Duncan Johnstone Memorial Solo Piping Competition saw father and son Iain and Jonathon Simpson win the overall trophies in the C-Grade and B-Grade events, respectively, at the National Piping Centre. There was a large entry, including several travelling from North America.
We revisit our 10,000-word discussion from three decades back
Pipe-Major John “Jock” McLellan of Dunoon is regarded universally as one of Highland piping’s greatest composers, and 150 years after his birth, events are in the works to celebrate his legacy throughout 2025. The creator of such classics as “The Road to the Isles,” “South Hall,” “The Highland Brigade at […]
The Grade 3 Commonwealth Pipes & Drums of Massachusetts has been told they must compete in Grade 2 to participate in RSPBA-sanctioned contests this year. The band was surprised to receive the news in a letter from RSPBA Business Manager Rachel Gillespie dated March 10, 2025. “I was a little […]
I first encountered Bill in 1980 at Maxville as a fanboy 16-year-old, asking him to autograph one of my Piobaireachd Society Collection books, and, like a rock star, he kindly obliged. He was the closest thing to a rock star in piping, and I’m sure that image suited him just […]
Brave New Music is a chronological biography of the fine young piper, classical musician, and electronic artist Bennett, who died in 2005 at 33. With Bennett’s premature death, I was worried this would be a difficult read. Within the first few pages, I realized that I was much more likely to turn the pages while laughing or smiling and thinking, “Ah, so that’s how, why, when or where he did that . . . ” than feel anything close to gloom.
Cameron Bonar was the winner of the ninth annual Boney Music Memorial Invitational Competition & Recital held again at the Seaforth Armoury, playing against Nick Hudson, Houston; Zephan Knichel, Surrey, British Columbia; and Craig Sutherland, Perth, Scotland.
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association has announced the “World Youth Pipe Band Championship” that will take place at the World Championships on Friday, August 15th. The news was made public at around 5 pm GMT on Friday, March 14th, with no more details than that. However, sources within the […]