Archive
The first day of the Grade 1 competitions of the 2023 World Pipe Band Championships again elevated the art to a new level of excellence. Alister Sinclair was on the ground at the Grade 1 arena, capturing some of the moments of the day. We hope you enjoy this exclusive […]
The 16 bands competing in the Grade 1 competition at the World Pipe Band Championships played in a main arena with about a third of the seating enthusiasts had been accustomed to over the last decade, which one person said looked more like Markinch Highland Games than the globe’s biggest […]
Glasgow – August 16, 2023 – Originally called the Lord Todd Bar Recital-Challenge at the University of Strathclyde, now known as the P-M Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital-Challenge at the Strathclyde Suite of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, it’s the event that sparked the idea for the Piping Live! Festival. This […]
After each of the four finalists got through a testing first-round heat, 15-year-old Cameron Bonar of Surrey, British Columbia, won the 2023 Pipe Idol competition for pipers younger than 21 in a packed and sweaty Grand Final in the auditorium of the National Piping Centre’s McPhater Street headquarters.
Dr. Angus MacDonald, one of the great Highland piping contributors and performers of the last century, will be celebrated in sync with his 70th birthday at the nine-day 2023 Blas Festival across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, September 1-9. A special concert on September 7th at Glenuig Hall in […]
Glasgow – August 17, 2023 – The fourth and last Pipe Idol qualifying round was won by Camron MacPhail from the isle of Islay, Scotland. He will join Cameron Bonar, Surrey, British Columbia; Gregor Grierson, Dumfries, Scotland; and Jake Robertson, Aberdeen, Scotland in the Grade Final later on Thursday, August […]
Drumming For Drinks 2023 Barras Art & Design All day, August 16, 2023 Reviewed by Rita DeNobriga After a hiatus since 2019, Drumming For Drinks was back and at a new location at the incredible Barras Art & Design, a massive upgrade from the Todd Bar at the University of […]
A review is, by definition, “. . . a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary . . .” There will be no formal assessment, and there is no change necessary. For one, I’m not qualified to critique what is almost certainly the best concert band in the world. Secondly, I’m on vacation and don’t want to spend my time searching for imperfections that are usually mentioned in a review to demonstrate that the author is neutral and balanced.
Scotland’s Gregor Grierson came away the winner of round three of the six-piper qualifying heats for the annual Pipe Idol competition. Held at the Street Café at the National Piping Centre with a full crowd of spectators, the event continues to be a popular draw at the festival.
Emerging Talent – TARRAN National Piping Centre Street Café 12 pm, August 16, 2023 TARRAN was the latest in the Piping Live! “Emerging Talent” series, and they arrived with some buzz remaining from winning the Battle of the Bands event at Glasgow’s 2023 Celtic Connections Festival. They appeared today as […]
Just after the first Covid-19 lockdown, the National Piping Centre staff was inspired to consider and understand the landscape of women in piping and drumming in Scotland. Despite the equality legislation passing in 1976, there have not been significant advancements in the numbers and level of participation in piping and pipe band drumming across all genders. The hope is that research will result in being better able to understand the landscape of women in piping and drumming in Scotland and move forward based on the findings.
Willie McCallum Lunchtime Recital National Piping Centre Auditorium 1 pm, August 16, 2023 The idea for the Piping Live! Festival was partly originally a product of highly successful noon-hour recitals designed to take advantage of all the pipers in Glasgow for the World’s. Over the 20 years since, the recitals […]
Alister Sinclair has been offering his skills to pipes|drums for years, and we’re pleased to have the world’s greatest piping and drumming photographer once again roving Piping Live! to capture what he sees. We hope you enjoy this exclusive slideshow of images from Tuesday, August 15th, Day 2 of the […]
An Evening of International Piping with the Eagle Pipers Scots Guards Club Haymarket, Edinburgh This evening of masterful piping contained a few firsts. It was the first time that The Eagle Pipers hosted a Piping Live! event at their regular location in Edinburgh; it was the first time they featured […]
The usual stowed-out Strathclyde Suite was again the venue for the International Quartet Competition, where Scotland’s Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Scotland was determined the best overall by a panel of “secret” judges scattered in the audience.
Glasgow – August 15, 2023 – Fifteen-year-old Cameron Bonar of Surrey, British Columbia, was the winner of the second round of the annual Pipe Idol competition for pipers younger than 21. The event was held at the Street Café outside of the National Piping Centre. Bonar will join Jake Roberston […]