Review: Piobaireachd is for Everyone by Dan Nevans

Reading of this book, I imagined it would make ceòl mòr more accessible to pipers who had little interest in it, hopefully inspiring them, and that it would help listeners gain greater enjoyment from performances. This has been attempted in the past and proved a tall order. There have been publications on the theme of piobaireachd appreciation before and Seumas MacNeil’s ‘Piobaireachd’ [available here] is one of the more successful….

Review: Piobaireachd Society Annual Recital 2021

What a busy month August was. From the Silver Chanter through to the annual Piobaireachd Society recital, August has delivered a bumper crop of piping in every format one could ask for after such a drought. It is only fitting that this big month has been bookended by the big music.  The Piobaireachd Society recital has been held in St. Cecilia’s Hall at the University of Edinburgh in previous years…

Northern Ireland Pipe Band Round-Up: Parades, Contests and Exhibitions Keep Tradition Alive

Over here in Northern Ireland the traditional parading season will wind down over the next month. On Saturday the 28th August the parades of the Royal Black Institution took place on a local basis. These parades have traditionally featured a significant proportion of our pipe bands, many of which will take their autumn break before resuming winter practices, and in most cases the tuition of learner classes supported by grants…

Argyllshire and Lochaber Gatherings Prove There is No Substitute for Live Piping

Three days of ‘live’ piping. Yes, you read that correctly. You don’t know what you have until it is gone and this week’s gatherings reminded us all of what we have been missing. There was a genuine sense of relief, freedom, exuberance among the pipers at Oban and Fort William. And we listeners were able to enjoy our favourite music without transmission technology and its homogenising barrier. By Robert Wallace…

Reduced Capacity Piping Live! Hailed a Huge Success

Piping Live! celebrated a welcome return and successful 18th year as it burst back onto the Glasgow events calendar last week, welcoming around 1,200 attendees across 52 events and streaming to 10,000 fans from 20 countries across the globe, writes Corrie Campbell. The 2021 edition of the globally recognised event closed last night after a nine-day run of jam-packed world class performances, competitions, music sessions, recitals, book launches and workshops, all celebrating…