The 2020 Academy will take place once more in Jacksonville, Florida, promoted by the local fire department pipe band. The outline for the week is as follows: Fly in Mon 24 February: Meet & greet 7pm; auditions; sort pipes; early finish. Classes proper start 9am Tuesday: break 10.30; lunch 12 noon; classes 1 – 2pm; break/ practice/ piobaireachd class 3pm/ band practice 4pm. The school follows this pattern most days…

All bagpipemakers and those dealing in instruments abroad will be interested in this latest news from the UK authorities regarding CITES permits for African Blackwood. David Naill & Co Ltd, one of the UK’s leading bagpipe manufacturers, has received the following: I refer you to the attached EU document entitled ‘IMPLEMENTATION IN THE EU OF THE AMENDMENTS MADE TO THE CITES APPENDICES AT CoP18.’ To summarise it as far as…

By The Editor I travelled many times to the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the 1990s to teach under the auspices of their pipe band association. Each time I heard stories of the huge impact P/M Donald MacLeod had made with his pioneering visits in the 1960s. Together with John MacFadyen, Seumas MacNeill and Captain John MacLellan, Donald established the North American summer school piping tradition, a tradition which has…

This competition was held last weekend in Pittsburgh, PA. under the auspices of the Balmoral Classic, writes Elaine Lee. The Balmoral Classic Overall winner, Kayleigh Johnstone, is the younger sister of Colin Johnstone, who won the George Sherriff Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Competition on the same day! In the photographs Kayleigh is holding her prize – a set of MacRae pipes donated by McCallum Bagpipes, and drumming champion Nicholas Moore is pictured…

Katie Mackenzie, publicist for the Festival, has sent this… This year’s Blas Festival will feature a special piping event in Inverness. ‘Càirdeas nam Pìobairean’ will take place at Inverness Town House on 29th November. The lineup includes Angus MacColl, Angus MacKenzie, Dr Angus MacDonald, Fin Moore with Sarah Hoy, Gary West and Brighde Chaimbeul.  ‘Blas, which means ‘taste’ or ‘sample’, is organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal in partnership with The Highland Council and will take place from…