Uist & Barra 2024 Review: Giving Tunes a Week Early Does Not Help Pipers or Listeners

Most highlights of the day came in a four hour period between 9am and 1pm when the ten invited pipers performed their piobaireachd. They had been given their chosen tunes, selected by the promoters from six submitted, a week in advance. I’m not sure this is a good idea. Yes, it allows a programme with prescribed tunes to be printed (costly and is it really necessary?) and it reduces the…

10th Annual Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championship Results

YOUNG MUSICIANS from a Renfrewshire schools pipe band have won gold at one of Scotland’s biggest piping and drumming events. Renfrewshire Schools Pipe Band hit the right note with the judges at this year’s annual Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championship (SSPBC), bagging wins in the highly-contested Freestyle category. By Alexandra Duncan, Chief Executive Ninety-seven schools went head-to-head vying for success across The Championships’ eight categories. The Championships were launched in 2013, as part of a…

Uist & Barra 2024 Results

This competition was held today, March 9, at the old College of Piping building in Otago Street, Glasgow. Pipers were given their tunes one week in advance. There was a large and appreciative audience throughout the day. Ten invited pipers competed. Ceòl Mòr, Glasgow Highland Club Medal1 Callum Beaumont, £220, (above), Donald Gruamach’s March2 William McCallum, £175, Earl of Ross’s March3 Alasdair Henderson, £110, Bells of Perth4 Iain Speirs, £85, Nameless-Cherede…

George Watson’s Band and Solo results/ Redding CA Results

The George Watson’s College Invitational Competition held on 3rd March at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, writes Ben Duncan. With close to 130 solo and 20 band performances, it made for a healthy day of piping and drumming at Watson’s. The events were judged by RSPBA adjudicators John Nevans, Alvis Kerr, Gordon Lawrie, Alex Dudgeon and Stuart Coils. George Heriot’s were triumphant in the Senior Bands, with Dollar winning the…

Germany’s Northern Winter School Inundated with Students/ Reader’s View on Band Sizes

The popular Northern Winter School, held each November in Germany, opened for registration at the weekend and is already sold out, the organisers report. Principal Ronnie Bromhead said: ‘After opening the online booking portal on February 1 we have received significantly more booking requests than we could give places. ‘Because of this flood we are doing our very best to fulfil all individual requests, but unfortunately some may not get…