Silver Chanter – full report and comment

SILVER  CHANTER:  5th AUGUST 2015 By Angus Nicol The 49th annual MacCrimmon Memorial piobaireachd competition, for the much coveted Silver Chanter, was held as always at Dunvegan Castle on 5th August 2015. The six pipers, four of whom had already won the Silver Chanter in years gone by, were selected from those who had won the major piping awards during the previous twelve months.  This made the event, as the…

Forres Prepared/ USPF Solos/ New England Piping Academy/ New CD

Preparations for next weekend’s European Pipe Band Championships are well in hand. The promoters, ‘Piping @ Forres’, have sent this:  ‘Final Piping At Forres preparations are in place for the European Pipe Band Championships, sponsored by Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, being held in Forres on Saturday 27 June. 105 bands, including eleven Grade 1 bands and the current European and World Champions, will play in Grant Park in…

PP Editor’s Blog: Kilberry Bagpipes/ British Championships/Piping Live

Double Gold Medallist Douglas Murray has taken over Kilberry Bagpipes in Edinburgh and reports brisk business at his premises in St Mary’s Street just off the Royal Mile. The above pic shows Dougie outside his new shop. Visitors are welcome to call in for a chat or to have their pipes looked over by an expert. Douglas will be leading his much-improved Fife Constabulary band onto the field at the…

A Look Back at the 2000 Gold Medal

Buy D Naill Standard Poly Practice Chanter (inc. any tax & mailing), from                         Still in ‘looking back’ mode, it is hard to believe that it is 15 years since Mike Rogers became only the second American in history – after Texan Mike Cusack – to win the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal. Mike R’s big day was…

Iain Speirs Impresses at Piobaireachd Society 2015 Conference (video added)

The highlight of this year’s Piobaireachd Society Conference had to be the playing of Iain Speirs, writes PS Vice President Robert Wallace. Iain, the consummate professional, was asked to illustrate a paper given by John  Shone on the life and career of one of the greatest pipers of all time, Donald MacPherson. With a beautifully set pipe, Iain thrilled the large number of attendees with outstanding performances of ceol beag, the urlars…