Callum Beaumont of Bo’ness, Scotland won the 2021 annual Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge. Callum won against four other invited top-tier soloists, all of whom are from Scotland: Stuart Liddell, Finlay Johnston, Angus MacColl and Sarah Muir. Roddy MacLeod MBE withdrew due to unforeseen circumstances.
This was the second major win during Piping Live! for Beaumont. Last night he won the Masters.
The competition was held tonight as part of the Piping Live! festival and is the festival’s flagship event. John Wilson acted as fear an tighe.
The format of the event is simple: each piper performs their own set of tunes over 30 minutes but each set must include a competition-style MSR and the ground of a piobaireachd.
The winner is picked by an undisclosed panel of judges.
The competition stems from a similar event that used to be held at the University of Strathclyde’s Lord Todd bar and is held in memory of the great Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies, Queen’s Own Highlanders. Alasdair died on August 27, 2011 and was truly one of Scotland’s outstanding musicians of modern times.
The event was sponsored once again by MacCallum Bagpipes. Stuart McCallum of the company presented the trophy.
