The Maket Collective aims to promote and amplify the voice and talent of influential female musicians through their stories and performances, allowing everyone, especially other women and girls in piping and drumming to take inspiration, empowerment to advance their own success. By providing this platform, it will promote wider visibility of women across the music community.
The six Maket Collective Ambassadors for 2024 are Andrea Boyd (piper), Brìghde Chaimbeul (piper), Mackenzie Forrest (snare drummer), Margaret Houlihan (piper), Sarah Staub (tenor drummer) and Hazel Whyte (piper).
These women were invited to be a part of the Maket Collective as they all possess an innate passion for their instrument, foster community, commit to advancement and a legacy that promises to further inspire future generations of pipers and drummers.
The initiative will be an ongoing annual rolling program, with six additional Collective Ambassadors added in early 2025, through an open nomination process. Details of this will be announced nearer the time.
The name of the collective “Maket” originates from Al Lahun in Egypt over 3000 years ago and refers to the first named piper in history, a woman named Lady Maket. Her name was inscribed on the side of her sarcophagus and her pipes were found along with her (Source: Jeannie Campbell MBE, Bagpipe News).
The National Piping Centre is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across the whole piping and drumming community, as well as showing leadership by embedding this in its own work and projects. The Maket Collective is a key action as part of the National Piping Centre’s EDI action plan, and launching the Maket Collective will place equality for women firmly on the agenda across the piping world.
More information on this year’s Maket Collection Ambassadors can be found on the National Piping Centre website here.
