PP Editor’s Blog: Reid’s Award, Chris Terry Tune etc

SFU lead drummer Reid Maxwell is to be honoured for his work as a performer and teacher in his home province. Band and BC Pipers President Rob MacNeil has sent this: ‘It has been announced by British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and Keith Mitchell, chair of the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, that Reid Maxwell, Lead Drummer of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band and Director and Life Member of the…

Chicago Tribune Row/ 1844 Prize Pipe Winners

Reader Nicholas Taitz has sent a copy of a letter he has submitted to the  Chicago Tribune following their recent controversial comments on piping and pipe bands: ‘I am a keen piper, and I was very much offended by your article as above.  The article is pejorative in the extreme about the bagpipes, which those of us who know them call the ‘pipes’.  Your writer clearly has limited acquaintance with piping,…

New Letters: Crieff, Piobaireachd Embellishments etc.

Letters today from Alan Cardwell re his father Denver, Matt Pantaleoni re the Crieff debacle and Jimmy McIntosh on piobaireachd embellishments. The latter mentions John MacDonald of Inverness, Seumas MacNeill, John MacFadyen, Capt. John MacLellan, Ed Neigh, Jim McGillivray and Bob Worrall. Read all letters  here.[wds id=”8″] William MacLean’s transliteration of the Gesto Canntaireachd has just passed its 100th download. The book is free here. Read about P/M MacLean here….

Archie Kenneth Quaich Results

This important competition for amateur piobaireachd players is organised every year by the Piobaireachd Society and always draws a very large entry. The winner this year was journalist Tom Peterkin from Edinburgh playing the Lament for Captain MacDougall. In second place was former winner Andrew Frater playing Tulloch Ard, third went to Michael Graham playing You’re Welcome Ewan Lochiel. Fourth was John Frater with MacLeod’s Controversy, fifth last year’s winner…

Uist & Barra Results (Updated with Comment)

As would be expected with such a stellar line-up, this was a day of first rate professional piping. A large crowd heard the very best of both ceol mor and ceol beag. Comment on the performances and  the winners are as below but listed among the latter should be the audience too. Here are the complete results: Ceol Mor: 1 Faye Henderson, Lament for the Earl of Antrim 2 Douglas…