Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming will hold weeklong Summer Camps for bagpipers and drummers, one each in eastern and western Pennsylvania. The first session, July 6-11, will be held at Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA. The following week, July 13-18, will take place at PennWest-Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA. Sunday afternoon to Friday noon each week.
The Kutztown session guest instructors will be:
Bruce Gandy (Piping): played with the 78th Fraser Highlanders when they became the first non-Scottish band to win the World Pipe Band Championships. His solo awards include the Canadian Gold Medal, both Oban and Northern Meeting Gold Medals, the Bratach Gorm twice, MacCrimmon Memorial Cairn for Piobaireachd thrice, and the US Piping Foundation championship 7-times.
Derek Midgley (Piping) has won the B Marches and Silver Medal at the Northern Meeting, 2nd in the Highland Society of London Gold Medal at Oban, the Dunvegan Medal, 6/8 Marches & 2/4 Marches at Dunvegan, Overall at the United States Piping Foundation Championship.
Andrew Carlisle (Piping): the Director of Piping at Carnegie Mellon University, Andrew has won the A Grade Strathspey & Reel at Oban, A Grade Piobaireachd & Overall at The Cowal Highland Gathering, the MHAF (U.S.) Gold Medal for both Light Music & Piobaireachd, three All-Ireland titles at the Senior level, and five United States Piping Foundation championships.
Miles Bennington (Drumming at both sessions) – Principal drumming instructor for the CMU Pipe Band, Bennington’s band and solo wins include the North American Championship, the Canadian Championship, the U.S. Solo Championship, EUSPBA Overall Solo Champion, PPBSO Champion Supreme, and top ten at the World Pipe Band Championships.
The Edinboro guest instructors will include:
Roddy MacLeod, MBE (Piping) 10-time winner of the Piobaireachd and 5-time Overall winner at the Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship. As Pipe Major, he led the Scottish Power Pipe Band to 45 Grade 1 Championship prizes and was Principal of The National Piping Centre from 1996 -2020.
Bruce Gandy (Piping) description above, also teaching at Kutztown, PA camp.
Scot Walker (Piping), a fourth-generation piper, Scot was the #1 ranked bagpiper in the EUSPBA for seven years during his competitive career. He taught music for 20 years at Moravian College, and is a published composer. Retired from solo competition, he actively serves on the EUSPBA judges’ panel, adjudicating for both sanctioned and non-sanctioned piping competitions.
Balmoral students will receive instruction in small classes and 1-on-1 tutoring sessions, as well as camp-wide activities suitable for all ages. Balmoral staff piping instructors Sean Patrick Regan and Richmond Johnston will support our world-class guest instructors at Edinboro, with Johnston serving at both camps. Balmoral Pipes & Drums drumming instructor Ian McLeod or a guest drum instructor will be added to either or both camps. Registration will close on June 15, 2025. For more information or to register, please visit: www.bagpiping.org
