The estate of the late Colin Ross is selling some of the late Northumbrian pipemaker’s pipes at an auction early next month.
Colin, who lived in Whitley Bay in the north-east of England, died last May after a short illness. He was a major figure in the revival of bellows-blown piping. In the late 1970s he more or less invented the Scottish smallpipes and was regarded as the best Northumbrian pipemaker of the 20th century.
The auction is being managed by Anderson & Garland Auctioneers of Newcastle, England. Its ‘Music Auction’ is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 3. Included in the auction are many bagpipes including various smallpipe chanters, a walrus ivory Northumbrian pipe chanter, bellows, a Breton biniou, French musette, Northumbrian pipes, pastoral pipes, Border pipes and Scottish smallpipes.
Other instruments are included, too, such as concertinas, a Müller’s auto-harp Erato, banjo, mandolin, violins and violas, clarinets and flutes.
Full details at https://www.andersonandgarland.com
Alan Bevan of Abbotsford, British Columbia, won the fifth annual Boney Music Memorial Invitational last Saturday (February 15). The competition is held in memory of BCPA life member and member of Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, Andrew Bonar, who died in 2017. The inaugural event was held in 2016.
The contest was held in the Anderson Room of the historic Seaforth Armoury, the home of many BC Pipers’ Association competitions of yesteryear.
Over $2,800 (c£1,600) was raised on the night for brain cancer research at the BC Cancer Foundation. Donations to the Boney Music Memorial Fund can be made here.
The invited players were Jori Chisholm, Gordon Conn, James Beaumont, Alan Bevan, Zephan Knichel, and Alastair Lee. James Beaumont was unable to attend due to poor road conditions.
Result: 1. Alan Bevan; 2. Alastair Lee; 3. Zephan Knichel.
The judges were unknown to the audience.
Nick Hudson of Houston, Texas, won the 2020 Metro Cup Professional Solo Piping Competition, held last weekend in New Jersey, USA.
Hudson tied with Matt MacIsaac of Stayner, Ontario, but won due to his first place in the Ceòl Mòr event.
Results:
Ceòl Mòr – 1. Nick Hudson (Lament for the Laird of Anapool); 2. Matt MacIsaac (My King Has Landed in Moidart); 3. Derek Midgley (Lord Lovat’s Lament); 4. Ian K. MacDonald (Lament for the Viscount of Dundee); 5. Alex Gandy (The MacKays’ Banner).
Judges: Chris Armstrong and Jim McGillivray.
Medley – 1. Alex Gandy; 2. Matt MacIsaac; 3. Nick Hudson; 4. Andrew Carlisle; 5. Ian K. MacDonald;
Judges: Sandy Jones and Jim Stack.
Glenn Brown, Andrew Donlon, Cameron MacDougall, Ben McClamrock, Sean McKeown and Sarah Muir also competed.
Pipe Major George Bell Memorial Amateur Championship
Ceòl Mòr – 1. Tyler Destremps; 2. Alastair Martin; 3. Colin Johnstone.
Judge: Glenn Brown.
MSR – 1. Steven MacDonald; 2. Tyler Destremps; 3. Kevin Darmadi;
Judge: June Hanley.
