This year’s Lorient Interceltic Festival may be cancelled but its organisers are planning a live bagadoù concert. Entitled simply ‘2020 Bagpipes Celebration’, the concert will take place on the evening of August 8 at the Stade du Moustoir in the Breton town. Four leading bagad are taking part: Bagad Quimper, […]
A few months ago, as Covid-19 was making its way around the world, I wrote here about the emergence of online competitions. Most countries were in lockdown and I, and my fellow ‘CLASPies’, had just competed in the world’s first live online competition. It was organised by the National Piping […]
Iain MacInnes reviews Chris Gray’s debut recording. As Scotland’s pipers explore ever wider musical horizons, this beautifully-made debut CD from Chris Gray points the way to what can be achieved. Gray comes with an impressive piping pedigree (he was a pupil of Tony MacDonald’s in his native Lockerbie), as well […]
Owen MacNiven was a well-known piper of the pre-war era. Born in Paisley in 1916 he was taught initially by John Morrell 1926 before the great Pipe Major Robert Reid took him on. By all accounts, Owen was an excellent piper – and the only one of Robert Reid’s pupils […]
Continuing Edith Paterson’s (née McHardy) story of her father. On one memorable night, my father stopped the band and made a speech pointing out the impossibility of proceeding unless the tumult could be reduced by half. I do not recall that there was any noticeable diminution thereafter. On rare occasions […]
As the pipe band world looks forwards with nervous optimism to 2021, the RSPBA’s Music Board has confirmed the tune requirements of the 2020 season will be carried forward into the 2021 season: The decision was approved at the Board of Directors Meeting on June 27, 2020. Meanwhile, at the […]
The Green Hills of Tyrol is a ubiquitous tune, learnt by virtually all pipers at an early stage. In 1961, the famous Scottish singer Andy Stewart put words to the tune and his song, A Scottish Soldier reached the No. 1 pop chart spot in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. […]
By Stuart Letford for Bagpipe.News Prepare for the long haul regarding the Coronavirus, folks. That was the message from a webinar discussion into the future of piping and pipe bands post-Covid-19. Further, there is a chance there may be no pipe band competitions held in 2021. The webinar took place […]
By Euan Anderson With pipers all over the world trapped indoors going stir crazy, this is a grand time to launch a book. This particular one is A4 in size with a glossy black cover that has a coo’s face on it. It will certainly stick out on the shelf […]
Simply put, Captain John A. MacLellan MBE (1921-1991) was one of the most important pipers of the 20th century. A military man, he joined the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders as a boy piper in 1936. In 1941, he was appointed Pipe Major of the 9th Battalion, Queen’s Own Highlanders: he […]
In a hint of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, a leading bagpipe manufacturer returned to full production yesterday. McCallum Bagpipes, based in Kilmarnock, Scotland, said in a statement: “We are back. In line with Scottish Government advice, we are in full production from today …. It’s been […]
Winter Storm, the popular US Midwest weekend of competitions and workshops, has been cancelled for 2021. Winter Storm was scheduled for January 14-17 in Kansas City, Missouri. In a sign of increasing concern in the global piping community about the pandemic in some parts of the world, the Midwest Highland […]
Vale, Pipe Major William Robertson (1932-2020) By Brett Tidswell Pipe Major William Robertson died at 12:00pm last Thursday (24th) in Auckland, New Zealand, the country he made home since moving there in 1959, and where he made a huge contribution to piping and to pipe bands. A celebration of his […]
Today, around 100 pipe bands should have been making their way to Bught Park in Inverness for the 2020 European Pipe Championships. Regrettably, the Covid-19 panemic has put paid to that – as well as to the whole 2020 competition season. Bught Park has held many pipe band and solo […]
