Applications are now open to pipers and drummers wishing to compete at the 14th annual Balmoral Classic US Junior Solo Highland Piping Championships, which is being held virtually. Applications are due on October 14 and video recordings due between November 4 and 8. There is a limit of 15 piping […]
News
Pipers’ choice
The Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship was established in 1974 to “inspire and stimulate the world’s finest individual pipers and to seek the best overall exponents of ceòl mòr and ceòl beag.” From the start, the event was a success and it remains the last supreme solo piping championship of the […]
Edinburgh Academy seeks Piping Instructor / “Devastating blow” to UK self-employed musicians / Rachel Lowry
The Edinburgh Academy is seeking a Pipe Major Instructor in charge of the school pipe band. The successful applicant will be responsible for the coordination and oversight of all musical instruction relating to the pipe band and the teaching of bagpipes and drumming within the school. He/she will replace Pipe […]
Call for post-Brexit ‘passport’ for musicians
Musicians from Great Britain’s traditional/folk music world are seeking clarity and guidance on what the requirements will be for gigging and working in the European Union (EU) after the Brexit transition period ends on December 31, 2020. Most musicians and performers rely on touring and performing in the European Union […]
Stellar lineup for 2020 Glenfiddich
The 10 invitees to compete at the 2020 Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championships have been confirmed. The pipers who will take to the stage – and, in brackets, the number of times they have won the overall title – are: • Finlay Johnston (2)• Callum Beaumont • Jack Lee (2)• Roddy […]
SPSL online competition / New album from Ross Ainslie
The details for the Scottish Piping Society of London’s online solo piping competition are now available on its website. The competition will include C Grade ((Piobaireachd and MSR) and Open Amateur categories as well as SPSL member events (Piobaireachd, March, Strathspey and Reel, and 6/8 March). There will be a […]
Bob Gore, 1937-2020
Robert W. Gore, inventor of Gore-Tex, the rubberised waterproof/breathable fabric, died last Thursday (17th) aged 83. Gore’s fabric invention was used in the manufacture of the company’s revolutionary pipe bag products in the 1980s, which quickly proved popular with pipers and pipe bands. Essentially, the fabric lets water/moisture out while […]
Tom Dingwall’s pipes to be auctioned / Still no sign of band practices resuming
The late Tom Dingwall’s pipes will be sold at auction in Glasgow at the end of this month. The sale will include Tom’s outstanding antique Donald MacPhee set, pictured. Donald MacPhee was born in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire in 1842. His parents were natives of Islay. Donald was taught piping by a […]
Lindsay launches new experimental CD
Donald Lindsay, the Scottish piper who is now domiciled on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, yesterday releasesd his latest recording. The History of Sleep, recorded with Richard Youngs, a Glasgow-based “experimental” musician. The album utilises Lindsay’s free-ranging, improvisational Lindsay System smallpipes chanter accompanied by Richard’s […]
LBPS’ musical ‘declaration’ to mark Scottish milestone
The Lowland & Border Pipers’ Society (LBPS) today marked in music a major milestone in Scottish history. The major milestone was the 700th anniversary of the so-called Declaration of Arbroath, the letter that was submitted to Pope John XXII in Avignon, France in the spring of 1320. The letter was […]