Category: Features

Possible Change of Date for the UK Pipe Band Championships

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The RSPBA is canvassing bands over a change of date for the UK Pipe Band Championships. These are due to be held at Ingliston’s Royal Highland Centre near Edinburgh on July 12. The date has raised considerable controversy. It clashes with important parades in the Northern Ireland band calendar. By the Editor It also comes during a traditional family holiday period with Scottish and Northern Irish schools closed during July….

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Silver Chanter Details Announced/ Ardmore Cup Results

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The following pipers have been invited to compete for the 2025 Silver Chanter, qualifying win in brackets: Craig Sutherland, Crieff, (Inverness Gold Medal), Nick Hudson, Texas, (Inverness Clasp), Alasdair Henderson, Dunoon, (Snr. Piob., Oban), Derek Midgley, New Jersey, (Dunvegan Clasp), Sandy Cameron, Roy Bridge, (Dunvegan Medal), and Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh, (Oban Gold Medal). The competition will be held in at the Gaelic College, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye, on August 6. The judge is…

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Bill Livingstone, 1942–2025

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Bill Livingstone, one of the great Canadian pipers and pipe majors, passed away yesterday afternoon. He was 83. Bill Livingstone was more than a piper—he was a singular presence in the world of Highland piping. His artistry, leadership, and unwavering dedication reshaped solo piping and pipe bands. Born on March 20, 1942, in Copper Cliff, Ontario, Canada, Bill’s journey with the pipes began at the age of four under the…

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NZ Pipe Band Championships Attract Record Entry

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With 57 entries, the 2025 New Zealand Pipe Band Championships in Invercargill will be the largest pipe band event outside of Europe, writes Liam Kernaghan, RNZPBA President. ‘The ‘New Zealand Nationals’ is a must-do for many pipe band aficionados and we are delighted to play host yet again to one of the biggest competitions on the planet. Bands from across New Zealand and Australia will compete over two days on Friday…

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EUSPBA President on the Grading of Judges

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Earlier this week the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association revised its list of judges for both pipe bands and soloists. Individuals on the list were graded either ‘A’ or ‘B’. ‘A’ grade judges can judge all grades; ‘B’ grades can do Grade 1 and below in solos and Grade 3 and below in bands. The man driving the change, EUSPA President Bill Caudill, has written about the changes which…

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