Competition in Memory of Andrew Bonar / Scots Guards KO/ RSPBANI Burns Dinner

The BC Pipers Association have announced the following…. ‘With just under a month until the Boney Music Memorial Invitational Piping Competition and Recital, the event is again shaping up to be one of the BC Pipers’ Association’s highlight events of the year. ‘Featuring the top five finishers from the 2017 Open Piping Grand Aggregate standings [James P. Troy, Kevin McLean, Andrew Lee, Alastair Lee and Jori Chisholm], the performers will…

NZ Piper Stuart Finlayson Talks of His Lessons with P/M Donald MacLeod

Stuart Finlayson is the renowned piper and composer from New Zealand. A prizewinner at the highest level, Stuart is well known to all generations via his outstanding compositions – tunes such as Stuart Chisholm’s Walkabout and the Motley Crew. As a teenager he left his homeland and took the long boat trip to Scotland where he studied piping with P/M Donald MacLeod and Duncan Johnstone. In this first part of…

PP Ed's Blog: Band Dates/ Andy's Tune/ South Florida

Spotted this on the internet and it may be a handy reference for the coming pipe band season: Download a printable PDF here. Northern Ireland piper Andy Wilson (above) achieved a highly commendable second prize in the ‘B’ piobaireachd at the recent Winter Storm contest in Kansas. Here’s part of his prizewinning performance of The Fingerlock: Chieftain at the last European Pipe Band Championships to be held at Forres in…

£58k Funding Boost for Young Pipers and Drummers in Dundee 

Thanks to a funding boost of £58k from Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust, a new programme of piping and drumming tuition in Dundee will be extended with up to 120 pupils set to benefit.  Above is a picture taken this morning at Fintry Primary School, Dundee, one of the feeder primary schools involved in the project. From l – r: Gregor Murray, Children and Families Convenor, Dundee City Council; Alexandra…

Scottish Government Announce Cash Boost for the National Piping Centre

The National Piping Centre has been granted £450,000 in the latest round of grants from Creative Scotland, the Government’s arts funding body. ‘Regular Funding 2018-21’, will deliver three-year funding to 116  ‘cultural and creative organisations across Scotland’, CS say. Their blurb reads: ‘The network demonstrates creative excellence, potential and ambition, with significant reach across Scotland, and internationally, and across many areas of practice. The network consists of organisations that produce, present and…