The Royal National Mòd, Gaeldom’s premiere musical and cultural event, returns to the fair city of Perth this year between October 14 – 22, for the first time in 18 years. Senior piping competitions at this year’s Royal National Mòd will be graded for the first time, replacing the former competition format at the prestigious event.
Entries for junior competitions must be submitted by Friday, July 15 at enter.ancomunn.co.uk.
For senior competitors, entry must be made via the members’ area of the Competing Pipers Association website: www.competingpipers.com. Competitors must be a member to play in CPA graded contests. Entries for senior competitors open on July 25 and will close on September 9.
Mòd organisers An Comunn Gàidhealach have partnered with The Competing Pipers Association, who will manage the entries through their website this year. The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, based at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, will organise and manage the competitions on the day.
The senior piping event will take place at Perth Theatre on Saturday, October 15 and will feature A & Premier and B Grade competitions. Both grades will have a Pìobaireachd, and March, Strathspey and Reel event and will require the standard four tunes for each competition. Junior piping competitions will also take place on Saturday, October 15 at Perth’s North Inch Community Campus.
Support for all of the Royal National Mòd 2022 piping competitions comes from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, who will also award prizes to the winners of the junior piping competitions.
James Graham, Chief Executive Officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said: “It’s wonderful to be partnering with organisations from across the world of piping for this year’s Royal National Mòd, bringing even greater distinction and occasion to these world-class competitions. We’re also very grateful to Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust for their generous sponsorship. We have no doubt this year’s competitions will attract fantastic junior and senior pipers from across the Gaeldom and inspire many more.”
Derek Midgley of President The Competing Pipers Association said: “The Competing Pipers Association is excited to work with the Royal National Mòd to bring an additional graded piping event to the solo competition calendar. Because of Perth’s central location, it is our hope that we will see strong support from our membership from every region of the country to take advantage of this opportunity. With robust attendance this year, it is our hope that we can add additional grades and events for subsequent Royal National Mòds.
“The Competing Pipers Association’s mission is to help further piping in Scotland, and it is an honour to work with the Royal National Mòd to help create a graded piping contest there for the first time. I want to celebrate adding another graded contest on the calendar considering the many that have been cancelled, and wish the Royal National Mòd the best of luck for their event. I look forward to a great contest this year and many more in the future.”
Chris Duncan, Secretary of the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust said: “The Trust is delighted to support the piping competitions at the Royal National Mòd being held in Perth this year. Gordon himself always supported and competed at our local Perthshire Mòd and the Royal National Mòd when he could so it was only fitting we showed our support.
“We see the aims of the Trust as very music aligned with that of An Comunn Gàidhealach – we want to promote the education of our young people by encouraging participation in and study of our traditional music, and advance the arts and culture of Scotland by promoting the performance, study and innovative composition of all forms of traditional music, and in particular the music of the Great Highland Bagpipe.”
Full details of the Mòd 2022 entry system and syllabuses are available at www.ancomunn.co.uk/nationalmod/syllabus and for prescribed pieces for Mòd 2022, visit ancomunn.co.uk/store.
