US Piping Society Repeat Popular Piobaireachd Composing Competition

The Shasta Piping Society in California has announced that it is to repeat its very successful piobaireachd composing competition over the 2017 -2018 northern hemisphere winter. The main sponsor is the Burley Bagpipe Company of Naramata British Columbia. This competition calls for copies of original piobaireachds to be submitted by composers to a panel of qualified judges: Robert Wallace (Chair), Bill Livingstone (Canada) and Chris Terry (South Africa). Mike Cusack, a…

Leading Drummer Heads for Oman/ Third Placed Piobaireachd Composition by John Bottomley

As the current members of Wallacestone & District Pipe Band celebrate its 130th anniversary, they will also be keeping one eye open for a potential new leading drummer. The current holder of the post, Stewart Gardiner, pictured above second left, is leaving to take up a teaching job in Oman. Stewart took on the position of Wallacestone L/D when Pipe Major Neil Henderson joined the band from Vale of Atholl in…

PP Ed’s Blog: Stuart Liddell/ Dave’s Tune/ Wallace Bagpipes/ Band Season Starts

Fortunate to catch Cailean Maclean’s excellent ‘Crunluath’ programme on BBC Radio Alba last weekend. One track featured the astonishing Stuart Liddell playing some Gaelic airs and kitchen piping. The finger work he is capable of defies belief and all on a richly toned bagpipe with perfect chanter intervals. The problem with this sort of brilliance is that youngsters start trying to imitate what Stuart does before they’ve perfect the basics of…

Winners of Original Piobaireachd Composing Competition Announced

Jori Chisholm, Seattle, is the winner of the Original Piobaireachd Composing Competition sponsored by the California-based Shasta Piping Society and the Burley Bagpipe Company, British Columbia. Under anonymous cover, Jori’s tune was the unanimous choice of the judges Mike Cusack, Texas, Bill Livingstone, Ontario, and Robert Wallace, Glasgow (Chairman). Jori receives £500 ($650). He is pictured above. Runner up was Dave Mason of South Africa who receives £250 ($325) with John Bottomley, Director…

PP Ed’s Blog: Composing Competition/ Dunedin Errors/ British Reminder/ Guineas Results

Entries for the Shasta Piping Society’s piobaireachd composing competition, sponsored by the Burley Bagpipe Company, have now closed. Twenty-six tunes from seven different countries have been received by the Society’s co-ordinator Steve Rooklidge. This represents a tremendous success on his, the sponsor’s and the Society’s part. The judges, myself, Bill Livingstone from Ontario and Mike Cusack from Texas now have the difficult task of selecting our favourites and finally deciding…