This year’s Kuala Lumpur Highland Games were a resounding success, bringing a touch of Scotland to the heart of Malaysia, writes our Asia correspondent.
Held at the prestigious Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort, the event was run by a dedicated team of expatriates who infused the day with both energy and authentic Highland spirit.
The KL Games provided an extraordinary day filled with tradition, competition, and community spirit. It was a landmark event that successfully combined the thrill of Highland culture with the latest developments in the pipe band world.
Key highlights included a pipe band competition and solo piping and drumming contests. The contest became the first to implement Pipe Bands Australia’s newly standardised national tune requirements for piping, setting a new benchmark for competitions in the region. Band Results:
G4a MSR
1 Lion City (Singapore) (P2, D1) – pictured top
2 Oriental P&D (Hong Kong) (P1, D3)
3 Sri Dasmesh (Malaysia) (P3, D2)
4 St John’s Alumni (Malaysia) (P4, D4)
G4a Medley
1 Sri Dasmesh (P2, D1)
2 Lion City (P1, D3)
3 Oriental P&D (P3, D2)
4 St John’s Alumni (P4, D4)
G4A Mini Bands MSR & Medley: Malaysia Pipe Band Club
Novice Mini Band Marches, Medley & Overall: Vajiravudh Pipe Band (Thailand)
Solo Piping
C Grade: 1 Cho Jun Ren 2 Jared Ong 3 Julius Li
D Grade (played March and S&R): 1 Freddy Tan Song Heng 2 Ong Yong Chang 3 Teo Wen Ming
Novice (S Air & March): Teresa Leong 2 Muhd Asyraff Bin Asinasution Yazid
Solo Drumming
C Grade: 1 Dukhbhanjan Kaur 2 Brendan Soh 3 Jayden Ng
D Grade: 1 Muhd Hazwan 2 Chung Hei Wun 3 Chan Tsz Hong
Novice 2/4: 1 Li Tung Yan 2 Au-Yeung Yin Long 3 Chan Hoi Lam
Judges: Scott Nicolson (piping) and Andrew Womersley (drumming)
Following the competition, a well-attended band workshop was hosted at Sri Dasmesh International School. Led by adjudicators Scott Nicolson and Andrew Womersley, the event saw over 50 participants engage in valuable discussions and learning.
it marked the first of what is anticipated to be a series of workshops aimed at fostering the growth and development of Asian pipe bands. The adjudicators provided feedback on performances from the previous day’s competition and discussions included tune selection, introduction, intonation, tempo, integration and interpretation. The success of this workshop set a positive tone for future collaborations and learning opportunities in the region.
