WHEELS ON FIRE: The City of Edinburgh Pipe Band is pleased to announce the line-up for the 2015 Pipe Majors Wheel of Fortune competition. The event, which will be held on Saturday 7th February, will feature performances from some of the world’s finest traditional musicians.
It will be contested by: Alasdair Henderson, Angus J. MacColl, Angus Nicholson, Brian Lamond, Callum Beaumont, Douglas Murray, Lee Moore and Niall Stewart. Top pipers Alasdair Henderson and Niall Stewart (pictured above) will perform at the Wheel for the first time. In addition to his role as piping instructor at George Heriot’s School, Alasdair is Pipe Sergeant of Inveraray & District Pipe Band, which claimed the runners-up spot at the 2014 World Pipe Band Championships. Pipe Major Douglas Murray will return to defend the title he won in 2014. In addition to winning the Wheel, Pipe Major Murray last year joined an illustrious group of pipers by winning ‘double gold’ – the top awards at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting – in the same year. Niall, meanwhile, recently added the Northern Meeting Silver Star to a piping CV which includes gold medals at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting. Niall’s solo success is the piped icing on a cake which includes Pipe Major duties with Lochalsh Junior Pipe Band and his work as Schools Piping Instructor for South Skye and Lochalsh.[wds id=”2″]
Looking forward to the event, Barry Donaldson, Pipe Major of The City of Edinburgh Pipe Band (right), said: ‘The Wheel of Fortune competition provides a unique opportunity to see and hear some of the world’s top pipers perform in an informal and relaxed environment where musical expression and entertainment come to the fore. Most solo piping competitions follow a fairly rigid structure, involving piobaireachd, and a traditional march, strathspey and reel. We offer something a little bit different – free-form piping if you like – where our contestants take the audience on a musical journey. Our event is now a key date on Scotland’s piping calendar and we are grateful to our competitors past and present for ensuring its success.’ The Wheel of Fortune competition requires entrants to spin a golden chanter to determine the music they will perform on the day. Entry to the event, which will be held in Danderhall Miners Club, is £15.00 for adults and £5.00 for under 16s. The competition begins at 12.15pm, with doors open from 11.30am. The City of Edinburgh Pipe Band competes in Grade 2 and is the senior band in Scotland’s capital.
Pipe Major Barry Donaldson has led the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band since 2011. He was a member of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band during its unequalled run of success in the 1980s, when it won the World Pipe Band Championships for six years in a row. Pipe Major Donaldson, who performed more recently with Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia, is the driving force behind a new youth pipe band in Edinburgh.
The event will be held at Danderhall Miners Club, Edmonstone Road, Danderhall, EH22 1QU. For enquiries about this press release or to arrange an interview or press pass, please contact Paul White on 0771 852 6036 (day) or 0131 447 2186 (evenings).