The 2025 Piobaireachd Society Annual Conference will take place in the Royal George Hotel, Perth. The dates are March 28 – 30.
Society committee meetings are held on the Friday afternoon and then members and friends gather in the evening for a relaxed meal.
The conference proper begins the following morning. There are two papers before lunch and two after, each of around 40 minutes.
Talk 1: 9.30 – 10.15am: ‘Gems from the PS Archive’ – Dr Jack Taylor. The PS archive is the world’s largest repository of recordings and documents on ceòl mòr. Dr Taylor is the Society’s Music Editor.
Talk 2: 10.45 – 11.30am: ‘Life, Times and Music of John Macdonald, Inverness’ – Robert Wallace. This will be based on a new book by John Shone and edited by Robert Wallace, the Society’s President. The book has much new information on John Macdonald.
Talk 3: 1.30 – 2.15pm: ‘Memorising the Great Music’ – Dr Peter McCalister. This is much more than rote learning by means of phrase patterns, says Dr McCalister, recently retired GP, and a member of the Society’s Music Committee.
Talk 4: 2.45 – 3.30pm: ‘Skye: Language, Heritage and the Silver Chanter’ – Dr J Decker Forrest. Dr Forrest is the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Gaelic and Traditional Music at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig College at Sleat on the Isle of Skye.
The afternoon concludes with a piobaireachd ceilidh with attendees invited to give a tune. Saturday evening sees the formal black tie dinner 7 for 7.30pm. There is a toast to the Society’s Patron HM The King, and the dinner closes with tune selections from top young pipers.
The Conference is free to all residential attendees. Accommodation is £120 for a twin room per night B&B, and £85 for a single per night B&B. Saturday lunch is £13 and three-course evening dinner is £32. Day visits from both members and non-members are most welcome and cost £20 (includes lunch) and will be collected by the Treasurer on the day.
Book rooms by calling the hotel direct on +44 (0)1738 624455 or emailing reception@theroyalgeorgehotel.co.uk. Please quote ‘The Piobaireachd Society Weekend’ when booking.
I’d love to hear :
Talk 3: 1.30 – 2.15pm: ‘Memorising the Great Music’ – Dr Peter McCalister. This is much more than rote learning by means of phrase patterns, says Dr McCalister, recently retired GP, and a member of the Society’s Music Committee.
Any chance it will be on Zoom?
Thanks!
Won’t be live-streamed Brigid but we will have full details in our Conference Proceedings available to all members on the website. Thank you for your interest. RW