£500 for Winner of NZ Piobaireachd Composing Competition

As Piping Press readers may know, Comunn na Piobaireachd (CNP) NZ is running a competition for the composition of ceòl mòr. Entries are open from anywhere in the world. We want to put out one more round of publicity before entries close on February 29th. The full title of the competition is the Sir Ian and Neville McKay Piobaireachd Composing Competition. Ian (top) and his brother Neville are pictured in the poster…

Editor’s Notebook: Piping Reports/ Pipers Persuasion/ Talk Piobaireachd/ Florida School/ Military Music

Don’t you like reading about the piping heroes of the past? I certainly do. Yet as I wrote this week, media reports on our solo and band competitions are practically extinct, a dying art. Sure, you can search online and you’ll find the ‘results-and-everything-was-great’ type of article from, say, the Glenfiddich Championship, but no real opinion-based comment journalism. We used to have a piping correspondent for the Oban Times, the…

History: Solo Piping in Edinburgh in the 1960s

Once more underlining the critical importance of reports of piping competitions, a sadly dying art, we have this from the Oban Times of November 1967. We presume it is by their then Piping Correspondent John MacFadyen. Look out for the names of George Lumsden who passed away last week, and Malcolm McRae who tonight delivers the latest in the Piobaireachd Society’s popular ‘Talk Piobaireachd’ lectures…. The third annual piping competitions…

John Hughes 1956-2024

The pipe band community worldwide has been shocked to learn of the sudden and unexpected passing of John Hughes on 21st January 2024.  John had been a high-profile official in the RSPBA, and a recognised figure at major championships and local competitions, for many years.  There have already been many tributes to John for his tireless work for the Association and its Lothian and Borders Branch.  It was particularly unfortunate…

Editor’s Notebook: Band Sizes & Major Champs./ Florida Academy/ Balvenie Medal/ D Naill Prices/ Military Tunes

The RSPBA should be in no doubt about the concern out there as regards the ‘Missing Majors’ and band sizes. The comments keep coming in to PP. Unfortunately the recent ones are all anonymous, so of course the impact is lessened. People complain of the lack of transparency at the Association then they correspond anonymously! I think they believe their band will suffer if they go public with their thoughts….