Category: Solo Piping

Germany’s Northern Winter Competition Continues to Grow in Stature

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One hundred and forty pipers and drummers converged on the German city of Bremen at the weekend for the Northern Winter Competition, writes the Editor. Organised by the Bagpipe Association of Germany, it was a triumph of efficiency and balance: camaraderie, fierce competition in equal measure. Piping judges were myself, Barry Donaldson, Peter Hunt and Allan MacDonald. There were solos at every level and quintets for bands. This last worked…

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Editor’s Notebook: Singer Pipe Band/ Solo Judging/ Stirling Recital and Contest/ NZ National Youth Pipe Band

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Thanks to reader David Moore for the above picture of Singer Pipe Band, Clydebank. David was mentioned in last week’s article along with two other ex-members, George McEwan and Murdo MacLean. David writes: I knew both George and Murdo well as we all lived in the same area along with many other Singer employees. George and myself played with Pipe Major Maurice Pert at Duthie Park, Aberdeen, in 1970 winning…

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Scottish Schools Entries/ CLASP Results

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The Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships will be held on Sunday, 8th March, 2026. Entries close on January 30th. The venue is the William McIlvaney Campus in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Enter here. No entry fee. There are categories for Quartets, Junior C, Junior B, Junior A, Novice Juvenile B, Novice Juvenile A, Juvenile and Freestyle, plus the Eilidh MacLeod Endeavour Award, which honours dedication and spirit. Substantial prizes are on offer: Travel grants:…

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Editor’s Notebook: Uist & Barra/ Airdrie Recital/ London Irish Rifles/ Singer Pipe Band/

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The first major solo contest of the year, the Uist & Barra Invitational, has been confirmed for March 7. As before, it will be held at the Piping Centre in Otago Street. The competition is under new management and it looks as though they have hit the ground running. Invites to a dozen or so pipers have already been sent out and they are merit-based. They include both 2025 Gold…

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Northern Ireland: UK Championships/ New Bands/ Brian Harvey/ Ardmore Cup/ Cancer Kids Charity

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I surmised in my November bulletin that there remained the potential for a UK Championships in Northern Ireland, particularly with the 2026 All-Ireland Fleadh coming to Belfast from the 2nd – 9th August. My thinking was based on the fact that a significant amount of funding would be going toward that event, and that with Ulster Scots events were becoming more prevalent within the Irish folk scene for example at the…

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