Jori Chisholm of Seattle, USA, is the winner of this year’s original piobaireachd composing competition organised by the Shasta Piping Society, California, and the Burley Bagpipe Company. Jori is a previous winner of the competition (2017) and picks up a cheque for £500 ($650) for his as yet unnamed tune. In second place came Karen McCrindle Warren from Cumnock in Ayrshire. She wins £250. Karen, compiler of the South West…

Ms Alex Duncan, Chief Executive of the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust: An opportunity has arisen for a Chanter/ Bagpipe tutor and a Snare Drumming tutor to teach during the school day in some of the Forres and/ or Elgin primary and secondary schools and to develop a schools pipe band in each location.   Applicants may wish to work in one, or in both locations. The roles are…

I hear that despite this year’s time lag with the Northern Meeting (it’s a week later than usual), entries for Braemar have topped out at 30 with months to go before the big day (September 7). There were concerns that the overseas contingent, usually so supportive of Braemar, would have headed home after Inverness. Not so it seems and the attraction of the royal gathering remains as strong as ever….

By Julie Stewart The 41st William Livingstone, Senior, Memorial Invitational, or, ‘The Livingstone’, to those familiar with the event, was held Saturday, May 11, in the historic James Street Armouries, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the Officers’ Mess of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. The Livingstone contest is one of the most challenging anywhere: players are required to prevail in both piobaireachd and ‘light’ music contests in order to…

By MacStig ‘The best laid plans o’ mice and men, gang aft agley’…… It had been my intention to be in Banchory for the thrilling regional Grade 2 competition featuring the best of the North East. Like a bad joke about getting directions in Dublin – ‘if I was going there I wouldn’t be starting from here’, the journey overland from western parts to Banchory was too far in the…