Archive

The Ottawa Highlanders made it two straight wins in Grade 2, taking the top contested band event at the Kincardine Scottish Festival. Ian K. MacDonald was best overall in the professional solo piping, and Kyle Wardell got the aggregate in the professional solo snare drumming.

In one of the closest All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships ever, St. Laurence O’Toole of Dublin won the title for the seventh time in the band’s history, tipping Northern Ireland’s Field Marshal Montgomery on MSR preference. The two bands split the overall Best Piping title.

After its cancellation in 2023, the prestigious Silver Chanter piobaireachd competition will return on August 7th, to be held at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic college located on the remote Sleat peninsula on Skye. But for what would appear to be the first time in the event’s 57-year history, the […]

Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe-Major Richard Parkes and Leading Drummer Gareth McLees are on board as instructors at the annual “Sound Advice” piping and drumming summer camp from Sunday, July 7th, until Friday, July 12th, in Regina, Saskatchewan. Joining the FM leaders will be Sean Somers, Glenna Mackay-Johnstone, Jacquie Troy-Carter, Jessica Featherstone […]

We conclude the exclusive pipes|drums Interview with Mike Cusack, the greatest competitive piper in American history. In this final installment, Mike Cusack looks at judging, teaching, and what the future might bring for the history-making piper.

After co-founding Pipe Dreams with Tommy Johnston in 1997, Ronnie McShannon is retiring from making Ezeedrone reeds, effective at the end of this month. The company’s new leadership team is elite solo piper Finlay Johnston, who has worked with the organization for several years, and Major Gordon Rowan, MBE, who […]

Armed with a pipe box ready for any eventuality, Edinburgh’s Ben Duncan four-wheeled it into the 710-year-old Ceres Highland Games in Fife and rolled out with both light music firsts and a second in the Piobaireachd, which was awarded to Darach Urquhart of Glasgow.

Steven Shedden of Melbourne won the first Oceania Solo Drumming Championship held at St. Andrew’s College. Shedden and runner-up Scott Birrell qualify for the semi-final of the 2024 World Solo Drumming Championships in Glasgow in October.

The contest that spotlights only the performances, not the judging, before, during or after the event occurs is invariably the most appealing to the contestants and the audience. All they remember is the good playing and the fair result.

pipes|drums is pleased to bring readers, viewers and listeners videos of the Grade 2 MSR performances from the 2024 Chicago Highland Games, held on June 15th at DuPage County Fairgrounds in the city’s northwest. The event saw a total of 38 bands compete across all events sanctioned and organized by […]

The 90-year-old Connecticut native has been a member of the Manchester Pipe Band for 78 years and counting. Ritchie is a legend with players all over the northeastern United States and beyond.

We continue with the sixth installment of 10 “Castle Recordings” piobaireachds in our exclusive series of performances captured on reel-to-reel tape at Edinburgh Castle in the early 1960s by the late Captain John A. MacLellan MBE. “The Battle of the Pass of Crieff” “Black Donald’s March” “The Groat” “Isabel MacKay” […]

We check in with Ben Duncan to see what makes his instrument go with such military precision, and the following is every single thing he could find in his pipe case.

The Grade 1 City of Dunedin of Florida has officially appointed Ben Elkins as bass drummer. Elkins had been filling the role for the first few competitions of 2024, taking over from Taylor Tibe, who had succeeded Christina Henry after the 2023 season. Tibe was previously the bass drummer for […]

Avoiding the complications of most piping recordings today, Brittany’s Xavier Boderiou is going back to basics with a new album that, if crowdfunding goes as planned, he hopes to launch in October. “Most of the tunes on the album are composed by me,” he said, “but the repertoire sticks to […]

We continue with the second of our two-part interview with David Hilder, vice-president and Music Committee chair with the Britsh Columbia Pipers’ Association. In Part 1, Hilder discusses some of the BCPA’s more recent work and highlights achievements. In Part 2, he discusses how associations can work better, the importance […]