Piping Press

By Robert Wallace I had the pleasure of attending the Scottish Schools’ Combined Cadet Force Piobaireachd Championship last Friday evening (Jan 17) to judge the senior section. The host was Merchiston Castle School, one of the most prestigious in the country and one which prides itself on the quality of its bagpipe tuition. Nine young men were forward and it really was heartening to hear their efforts. They were a…

Piping events at the popular Highlands & Islands Festival are now open. The contest takes place on May 2 and entries close on March 9. The festival blurb reads: ‘The 37th Festival 2020 is going to be our biggest year yet with new venues, over 1100 participants, 125 competition classes in eleven disiplines and fringe events to be announced. ‘The Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival has developed into…

Since its inception over 100 years ago – celebrated at that special ceremony on January 10 – the SPA has studiously stuck to its rules of providing open annual competition for all levels of piping: juvenile, amateur and professional. In the following picture galleries you will see some of the many winners over the years, and don’t be surprised if you notice a few changes in appearance. What is clear…

By Our Special Correspondent Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Bagpipe Performance exams will be commencing at schools and test centres across Scotland from the 10th of February to the 20th of March for National 5 and Higher. Advanced Higher will follow on 27th April to 15th May. It is worthwhile candidates and tutors looking at the newly updated repertoire list. Click on this link to download the list. Candidates are required to…

By President Tom Johnstone The event to mark the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Scottish Pipers’ Association was held in NPC Otago St (formerly known as the College of Piping) on Friday 10th January 2020 – 100 years to the day after being founded. I started off proceedings with a few tunes and then gave a condensed history of the Association. [Tom is pictured above on stage.] Although…