A large gathering of bagpipers and drummers from the Southern Hemisphere is taking place at the five-day long RNZPBA Annual Summer School in Christchurch from January 10-14, 2024.
Over 150 students from 10 years old to 65 and above will spend part of their summer at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch, honing their skills with some of the world’s best tutors.
Leading the piping school is Scott Wallace, a multiple world champion, having won the Worlds with St Laurence O’Toole (Eire) and Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland). Scott currently competes with the sixteen-time world champion pipe band, Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia. Leading the drumming school, Jake Jørgensen started learning the drums at the age of 11 with the Copenhagen Caledonia Pipe Band. He was able to take inspiration from visiting tutors, such as Tom Brown, Reid Maxwell, Eric Ward and Barry Wilson. Jake is the current Leading Drummer of ScottishPower Pipe Band and has won the Worlds with Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia.
The tutoring line-up includes a wealth of New Zealand-based tutor talent, all of whom carry significant domestic and international accolades.
The National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand, now a 45-member band after this year’s intake, will attend the whole school and give a performance on theSunday led by Music Director Alasdair Mackenzie.
For more information, please contact Liam Kernaghan – Group Leader, Promotions – via email.
Liam Kernaghan elected to the Board of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands’ Association
Current Promotions Group Leader, Liam Kernaghan, has been elected to the Board of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands’ Association (the Association) by its member bands.
Based in Auckland, Liam has served as Promotions Group Leader since March 2022 and brings a wealth of experience across solo piping and pipe bands here in New Zealand and internationally. He is currently on the National Adjudication Panel for both Piping and Ensemble, and in his professional life is the Head of Government Affairs for Chorus, New Zealand’s largest wholesale telecommunications infrastructure company. Liam represents Australasia on the international Competing Pipers Association and has served in a number of piping, political and community organisations.
Association President Iain Blakeley said: “Liam will bring a fresh outlook and new energy to the Board, and I know he is deeply committed to improving the pipe band scene here in New Zealand. I look forward to working with Liam, Stu McHale and our Management Group to navigate the opportunities we have in the pipe band community. I want to thank Liam and Scott Mitchell for putting their names forward for the board role and giving our members a choice from two high calibre candidates and a real say in how their Association is led”.