Bagpipe News

Chester was the former Pipe Major of the Orak Pipes & Drums. He was also a founding member of the Emerald Society Pipes & Drums-CPD and was also a founding member of the Illinois State Police Pipes & Drums, and a former Pipe Major of that band.

Chester Mikolajczak Milen

St. John Chester Mikolajczak Milen, age 66, of St. John, IN, passed away Monday, March 19, 2007. Chester was formerly of Calumet City and Southside of Chicago, IL. He is survived by his wife, Barbara (Skoniecza) Milen; one son, David (Carmen) Milen; grandson, Christopher Milen; two sisters: Geraldine and Elizabeth Mikolajczak.
Chester worked at Ford Motor Co., Republic Steel and retired from Illinois State Police after 25 years.

Competition Rules & Regulations
(Effective March 22, 2007 - supersedes all previous versions)
Complete, updated rules & regulations for EUSPBA-sanctioned piping, drumming, and pipe band contests.

The Hamilton Highland Games, a Champion Supreme event of the Pipers & Pipe
Band Society of Ontario, has been cancelled due to financial problems.

The world renowned Piobaireachd exponent, Greg Wilson, is running classes in Dunedin from the Waikato in the North Island using video conferencing technology. Matt Fraser, one of the participants, said that “this allows us to get the best tuition available in the world without having to get busy people to fly to Dunedin.” In addition, he said that, “it means that Greg Wilson doesn’t have to be away form his family for any more than a couple of hours and its saves us money as well”.

The aim is to teach the teachers. Participants are being taught the fundamentals of Piobaireachd, including the importance of singing tunes and how to play a crunluath. This is backed up with instruction in the tune The Companies Lament.

There have been two sessions already and the next one will be on the 26th of March.
20 March 2007 - Dunedin Queens Birthday Entries Close 4th April

This contest is one of New Zealand’s solo piping ‘Majors’. The judges are Brain Switalla, Marion Horsburgh and Rosalie Heaney. The event will cover all of the grades so if you want to be part of it you will need to get your entries in by the 4th of April. Contact The Secretary, Piping & dancing Otago Centre, PO Box 4041, Dunedin.

http://www.piobaireachd.org.nz/

• May 11 - Antigonish Piobaireachd Challenge
• May 12 - Antigonish Indoor Games
• June 9 - Moncton Games
• June 30 - Gaelic College
• Jul 2 - Pugwash Games
• Jul 7 - Halifax Highland Games
• Jul 21-22 - Antigonish Highland Games
• Jul 27-29 - New Brunswick Highland Games
• Aug 4 - Eldon Highland Games
• Aug 12 - Hector Festival (no competition in 2007)
• Aug 18 - Festival of the Tartans
• Aug 25 - Woodleigh Games (no competition in 2007)

Sanction Games

Calls are growing in Poland for a ban on ‘men in skirts’ because drunken Scottish flashers have been upsetting locals.

Agnieska Gaspar, 23, from Krakow, said: “You can’t go round the corner without seeing a Scot showing off what he has under his kilt while one of his mates photographs him.

“I saw one lying in the gutter the other day with his kilt round his waist. He was drunk, and it was freezing cold - I am surprised he did not get frostbite.”

Poland has become a major destination for UK tourists mainly attracted by the cheap beer…

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And Another Story 

Some students pick Colgate for its top-notch academics or student-faculty interaction.

Others choose it because of its campus, location, or people.

Allison Ewing’s extra reasons? The university’s proximity to a first-class bagpipe corps and Outdoor Education Program, of course.

Ewing ’08, an accomplished snare drummer and avid camper, didn’t want to forgo either passion during college, so she does what any enterprising Colgater would do…

Full Story 

The 13th Contest, held at the Pipe Band Hall in Renton , Dunbartonshire, saw victories from upper Loch Fyne. Alasdair McLean from Inveraray and District won the Dick Finlay Trophy for the Most Promising Player. Steven McNair from Strachur came third and Alexander McKechnie also from Strachur came fifth in The Band Room Quaich Novice March for Bagpipe for the 18 and under age group. Laura MacMillan from Inveraray and District came third in the Dumbarton Lion’s Club Cup for the March, Strathspey and Reel in the 15 - 18 age group; and 3rd in the Ald Kiltmaker’s Scroll for the Piobaireachd in the 15 - 18 age group.

Scott McLean, also from Inveraray and District, came fourth in the Helensburgh Trophy Centre Cup for the Hornpipe and Jig in the 14 and under age group; and 3rd in the MacLeod Highland Supplies Trophy for the Piobaireachd in the 14 and under age group..

The ACPBA and Antigonish Highland Society have decided that in order to
help promote the Gold medal attendance and thereby help encourage up coming
players; “that for a trail period of one year competitors in the Gold medal
can select tunes from the gold and silver tunes list.”
Attendance has declined in recent years which we understand may be due to
tune commitments for other contests. By changing the selection our goal
is to tear down any impingements which may be keeping our own talented pipers
from this important contest.

Elizabeth Danskin
President, ACPBA

The sound of a drill on brass tubing and plastic filled the echoing reaches of John Sindt’s home shop as he watched the digital readout measure thousandths of an inch for the mouth opening of his newest penny whistle.

“It’s all about tolerances,” the 66-year-old retired Lamont Doherty machinist said, reaching for a small vacuum hose to eliminate metal and plastic shavings from the freshly drilled hole. “If you change that, you change the way it’s going to sound. I like to just keep them as close as I can to the same measurement so that they’re consistent.”

The slight and silver-haired Sindt is an internationally known instrument-maker, a man who is six months behind on orders for his high-end whistles even though he doesn’t advertise and makes an instrument that is relegated to a niche market and that music stores usually sell for $10 and online catalogue stores sell in bulk.

“Without a doubt, John Sindt is one of the finest whistle makers in the world,” said Joanie Madden, a Yonkers resident who plays a Sindt whistle in her traditional Irish band, Cherish the Ladies. “Some of the best of the whistle players in the world play them. It’s his attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship. He plays. He understands what we’re looking for: tone and purity of sound and intonation. These things make for a great instrument.”

Full Article

Take one part electric guitar. One part bagpipe.

Blend.

That’s pretty much the modus operandi for the Killdares, the Dallas-based alternative Celtic rock group that does Texas music Celtic style, or Celtic music Texas style, whichever you choose.

The band will be bringing that unique sound to the Iron Horse Pub on March 23 - a St. Patrick’s Day epilogue, if you will, to follow up this weekend’s downtown St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

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ONE of the world’s top bagpipe adjudicators will judge the Victorian Pipe Band Championships at the weekend’s Geelong Highland Gathering.

John Wilson has been playing the bagpipes since he was six and had won so many competitions by the time he was 14 that he started competing in senior competitions.

He later won every major Scottish solo piping award before becoming pipe sergeant of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band between 1981-90, when the band won eight consecutive world championships.

Mr Wilson, who retired in 2003 and is now an adjudicator for the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association panel, is just one of the highland gathering’s many attractions.

Saturday’s event will also include clan tents, the Australian Haggis Hurling Championships, massed pipe bands, Scottish folk bands and singers and children’s entertainment ranging from face painting to a farmyard nursery.

There will be crafts, souvenirs, food vendors, vintage cars, woodchopping competitions and highland dancing as well as plenty of stalls.

Entry to Queens Park costs $12 for adults or $30 for a family of two adults and two children.