The 4th Jimmy McIntosh MBE Piobaireachd Workshop was held at Carnegie Mellon University last weekend. We had 42 students, including 17 at open level, which we were delighted with, especially because it was solely a piobaireachd event… and held in a very cold Pittsburgh.
The weekend was organised by the Pittsburgh Piping Society. Instructors were all longtime students of Jimmy’s, Northern Meeting Clasp winners Mike Cusack and Nick Hudson (both travelling from Houston, Texas), and myself.
By Andrew Carlisle,
Professor of Piping CMU, Pittsburgh, PA
Students were divided by ability into three classes then over 200 people packed into a popular Pittsburgh restaurant with around 30 pipers playing in a fun environment. Registered students and local pipers performed, then we had a few entertaining sets from special guests, before the instructors closed the night.
Mike Cusack gave a terrific, full rendition of ‘Earl of Seaforth’s Salute’ on a wonderful sounding bagpipe, particularly on high G!
On Saturday and Sunday, each student had the opportunity to perform a piobaireachd on the pipes for some live feedback from an instructor. Many remarked that they learned just as much from other people’s feedback as they did from comments about their own performances.
There was a high level of playing during the weekend, especially in the top class where, as I say, the 17 participants included many open level pipers and even four judges. This was in keeping with Jimmy’s philosophy that with piobaireachd, you are never finished learning.
Tunes performed by students in the top class were Beloved Scotland, the Bicker, Craigellachie, Daughter’s Lament, Finger Lock, King’s Taxes, Lament for Captain MacDougall, Lament for MacSwan of Roaig, Lament for the Children, Lament for the Viscount of Dundee, Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert’s Fancy, Lord Lovat’s Lament, MacDougall’s Gathering, Park Piobaireachd No.2, Port Urlar, Rout of Glenfruin, and Scarce of Fishing.
In addition to the masterclass format, participants were introduced to new tunes on the practice chanter in the more familiar classroom setting.
The weekend also saw the completion of this year’s Jimmy McIntosh MBE Piobaireachd Scholarship programme where a deserving recipient was provided with online tuition for eight months from Mike Cusack.
Saturday afternoon closed with this year’s scholarship winner, Peter Lui (Nashville, Tennessee) performing two piobaireachd he had studied with Mike, the Earl of Seaforth and the Groat. It was clear that Peter had worked very hard over the last eight months under Mike’s tutelage.
After eight hours of piobaireachd study on Saturday, it was time for a ceilidh featuring Palmer Shonk, Skip Cleavivger, George Smith and Conor Freeland and Connor Eckhart.
Sunday saw the completion of classes – another three hours of study. The students remarked how much they learned throughout the weekend and the instructors all praised the high level of playing and eagerness to learn from the students.
Applications are already being received for the 2026-27 Jimmy McIntosh MBE Scholarship, and the March 1st deadline for submission is fast approaching. North American piobaireachd players can contact jimmy.mc.scholarship@gmail.com for more information.
The fifth edition of the workshop is scheduled for February 19-21, 2027. Pittsburgh Piping Society is deeply grateful for the kind donations received from individuals, and from the Piobaireachd Society.
Classic Piobaireachd (Vol.1 A – L): Lessons on Great Tunes
Here we have some of the very best piobaireachd from the ceòl mòr canon. Every piper should know these tunes, or at least have a working knowledge of them. They are played here in full by Robert Wallace on the practice chanter without interruption. Thus he preserves the essential linking of the phrases and variations as they occur, making each tune a complete unit – exactly the way it should be presented – with no one part of the tune detached…