The popular Highlands and Islands Festival has celebrated its 30th anniversary at a reception held in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, writes Robert Wallace The festival began in 1983 as an idea floated round the kitchen table of former Chairman Neil Sinclair and his wife at their home in Oban. Since then it has enjoyed years of showcasing the best in Scottish music and dance. It has grown to such an extent…
A meeting will be held this weekend to decide on the disbursement of the first grants from the RSPBA’s National Juvenile Pipe Band Fund. The fund was launched last World’s Week. It’s aim is to help young bands who are struggling to find the cash for competition buses, instruments and tuition. Most of these bands receive nothing from the public purse at all and it was to try to redress…
We start today with some very interesting archive material. Firstly we have a recording of Bob Brown, Balmoral, playing two 2/4 marches, Abercairney Highlanders and the 74th’s Farewell to Edinburgh. The recording comes to us courtesy of Patrick Molard in Brittany. Patrick recorded Bob when he was a pupil of his (Patrick of Bob not Bob of Patrick!) in the early 1970s. What do we learn? Firstly I think it…
Gail Laird of the Ross & Cromarty Pipes and Drums School has sent this: ‘The Ross and Cromarty Pipes and Drums School rounded off their successful competing season by a three-night mini tour of Ross-shire. ‘The concerts were an outstanding success. The band was delighted at the level of community support at every venue. The main band was outstanding, showcasing their talent under the brilliant tutelage of Niall Matheson (Pipe Major)…
We are grateful to John Don MacKenzie, Dornie, for supplying this original hand-written copy of the classic 2/4 march South Hall. The tune is of course by one of our greatest composers, John McLellan DCM, Dunoon, but the hand written music you can see is by P/M Willie Ross, written when he was directing the Army School of Piping at Edinburgh Castle. Here is the tune in full, beautifully laid out:…
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