The Celtic Connections festival kicks off next weekend in Glasgow and looking through the programme I could find dashed little of piping interest. The highlight will be the concert by Inveraray & District and Breton band Bagad Kemper at 12.30pm on Jan 28 (tickets £15). There is also a concert on Feb 3 featuring ‘Breabach’ a folk group that uses pipes but outside of that very little of the piob mhor…
Good to see that pipe bands will be well represented in President – Elect Donald Trump’s Inaugural Parade in Washington DC on January 20. Here are the Pipes & Drums on the list: Coastal Florida Police & Fire Pipes & Drums, Palm Coast, Florida Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums, East Meadow, NY NYPD Emerald Society Pipes & Drums, East Moriches, New York The Citadel Regimental Band & Pipes and Summerall Guards, Charleston, South Carolina US…
Pipe bands seem to have settled on a ‘no more than 25 pipers’ rule in the past couple of seasons. Before that we had showmen P/Ms turning out with nearer 30. Now they realise the difficulties this means for unison and control. There was a time when the optimum size of a pipe band was considered to be 12 pipers, four side drummers, two tenors and a bass. Among the top bands…
P/M Douglas Murray of Fife Police will join his brother James, Ian Lyons and Brett Tidswell as the main piping instructors at the Pipe Bands Australia summer school in Melbourne later this month. Lead Drumming Instructor is Steven McWhirter, the current World Solo Champion, ably supported by Dean Hall and others. Here’s the link. I hear that Douglas has had to pull out of the Wheel of Fortune contest owing…
Congratulations to the former Director of Army Bagpipe Music Major Steven Small on his recent award of the MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. Steven retired from his post last year after nine years in charge at the Army School at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh. Steven served for 35 years in the Army and has now taken up a new job with the Edinburgh Tattoo. His successor is Major Gordon…
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