Adjudicators for the 2016 Argyllshire Gathering Announced

AG logoJudges for the first day of this year’s Argyllshire Gathering, to be held at Oban on August 24th and 25th, are as follows (in alphabetical order):

SENIOR PIOBAIREACHD
Colin MacLellan, William Morrison, Jack Taylor

GOLD MEDAL
Patricia Henderson, Bill Livingstone, Stuart Shedden,

SILVER MEDAL
Ian Duncan, Malcolm McRae, Robert Wallace

MacGREGOR MEDAL
Michael Grey (Ontario), Bruce Hitchings, Ronald MacShannon, Stuart Samson – two judges to each heat.

FORMER WINNERS’ M,S, & R
Iain MacFadyen, John Wilson, Bob Worrall

Benches for the second day of the Gathering, the Games at Mossfield Park, will be composed of the above adjudicators with one or two additions.

Piping Convenor Torquil Telfer (l) with Games Day light music champion Alasdair Henderson and 2015 Convenor Jamie Mellor
Piping Convenor Torquil Telfer (l) with Games Day light music champion Alasdair Henderson and 2015 Convenor Jamie Mellor

Piping Convenor Torquil Telfer said that when inviting their judges for the Gathering they always tried to get a mix of senior members from the lists whilst at the same time givingnewer members the opportunity to gain experience.

The picture up top shows the 2015 Gold Medallist John Angus Smith leading the pipers onto the field on Games Day. The winning piper acts as pipe major for the march from the seafront. This is one of the defining moments in any piper’s career and a tradition of the Argyllshire Gathering.

Venues for the piobaireachd competitions are as before: Corran Halls for the Senior Piob and Gold Medal (small theatre), Skipinish Ceilidh House for the Silver, and the Regent and Great Western Hotels for the MacGregor. The Former Winners’ MSR will be held in the Corran Halls following the Senior Piobaireachd.

Twenty eight pipers have been accepted for the Gold and Silver Medals. Entries for the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd are 30. This contest is held over two heats and therefore can accommodate a higher entry figure. Qualifiers play in a final judged by all four judges. Mr Telfer asks that senior competitors ensure their entries and tunes are submitted before July 31. Click on the display ad to reach the Argyllshire Gathering website.

Pipers are asked to submit lists of piobaireachd selected by the Music Committee of the Piobaireachd Society; rarely do they compete with their favourite pieces. Just to get to play at Oban and Inverness is an achievement of itself, and any success is rightly lauded as a major milestone in any piper’s career.
John Angus receives his medal from the Duke of Argyll
John Angus Smith receives the 2015 Gold Medal from the Duke of Argyll

GOLD MEDAL (NOT in order of playing):
Glenn Brown, Canada, domiciled in Scotland, Donald MacPhee, USA, domiciled in Scotland, William Geddes, Dumfries, Derek Midgley, USA, Andrea Boyd, Canada, Dr Innes Smith, Bridge of Allan, James MacHattie, Canada, Jori Chisholm, USA, Jonathan Greenlees, Northern Ireland, Jenny Hazzard, Canada, domiciled in Scotland, Sean McKeown, Canada, Chris Armstrong, Airth, Decker Forrest, USA, domiciled in Scotland, Andrew Carlisle, Northern Ireland, domiciled in the US, Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, James Troy, Canada, Angus John MacColl, Benderloch, Allan Russell, Fife, Peter McCallister, Dunblane, Andrew Hayes, Canada, Alasdair Henderson, Glasgow, Fiona Manson, New Zealand, Alastair Lee, Canada, Gordon McCready, Glasgow, Jamie Forrester, London, Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh, Sandy Cameron, Roy Bridge, Ian K Macdonald, Canada

Silver Medal contestant Sarah Muir
Silver Medal contestant Sarah Muir

SILVER MEDAL (NOT in playing order): Andrew Lee, Canada (Gold Medal Reserve), Craig Sutherland, Pitlochry (Gold Medal Reserve), Sarah Muir, Campbeltown, Connor Sinclair, Crieff, Xavier Bouderiou, France, Ursa Beckford, USA, Eric Ouellette, USA, Ben Duncan, HM Forces, Anna Kummerlöw, Germany, Andrew Lewis, USA, Ben McClamrock, USA, Charles MacDonald, Inverness, Jacob Dicker, Canada, Greig Canning, Fife, Stuart Easton, New Zealand
Michael Elder, Fife, Michael Fitzhenry, Northern Ireland, Nicholas Hudson, USA, Martin Kessler, Germany, Edward McIllwaine, Canada, Darach Urquhart, Glasgow, Ed Bush, USA, Cameron MacDougall, Inverness, John Lee, Canada, Andrew Donlon, USA, Kris Coyle, Northern Ireland, Andrew Wright, Dundee, Mael Sicard-Cras, France

Reserves:
Steven Leask, Glasgow
Andrew Hall, Northern Ireland
Matt Pantaleoni, USA
Ashley McMichael, Northern Ireland
Duncan Beattie, Glasgow
Steven Gray, Dumfries

David Shedden, Glasgow