“Mannville’s Recreation Centre will turn a little Scottish in celebration of Robbie Burns’ night this year.

An annual Scottish tradition, Robbie Burn’s night is typically held on January 25, but in Mannville it will happen on January 23, a Saturday. The evening gets underway at 5 p.m. with cocktails, a meal at 6 p.m. with a dance to follow. One of the highlights of the event is the performance by the Mannville/Vermilion Dance Club. Dot Cleland, the president of the dance club, said the night is a lot of fun and full of Scottish tradition.

‘It’s the Scottish tradition to celebrate Robbie Burns and we do it with a meal and some highland dance and song,’ said Cleland.

‘We’ll have haggis and turnips as well as roast beef. But the traditional part of it is the turnips and the haggis.’

Traditionally Dr. Stewart Hunter performs the address to a haggis, which is a poem Robbie Burns wrote. Cleland says it is part of the evening’s tradition, however this year Dr. Hunter won’t be in attendance.

‘There’s a weird tradition where Scotsmen talk to their food before they eat it,’ said Cleland.

‘They address the haggis. It’s about sheep and the parts of the sheep you eat. So they talk to the sheep they are about to eat and the tradition is for someone to do a performance with the dagger (Skian Dubh) in their sock.’

The highlight though, Cleland said, is the show put on by the dance club.

‘The Mannville/Vermilion Highland Dance club puts on a show of traditional highland dancing,’ said Cleland.”

(Via www.vermilionstandard.com – Read Full Article.)

“A CRITICAL shortage of highland band pipers is affecting several visiting bands and may stop them taking part in the Maryborough Highland Gathering street march on Friday.

Officials are very concerned that a reduction in the number of younger people learning the bagpipes is having a detrimental effect on pipe band numbers.

With the retirement of older members, it has reached a critical stage in the viability of some pipe bands.

It is reliably reported that the Australian Defence Department has disbanded the Australian Army Highland Pipe Band, which is a disappointment for highland pipe band supporters.

An urgent appeal has been put out for volunteer pipers to support the City of Horsham Pipe Band and the St Arnaud (Norman Simpson Memorial) Pipe Band so that the two bands can take part in Friday’s street march.

Band officials are keen to take part in the street parade and in the on-oval presentation, but are short of several pipers.

While highland pipe bands in the local region are strong in Maryborough, Castlemaine and Daylesford, there is continuing pressure on the number of available pipers in St Arnaud and Horsham.”

(Via www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au – Read Full Article.)

Battle of the Bagpipe Bands

“February 27th will be the date of the first annual ‘Battle of the Bagpipe Bands’ from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the St Nectarius Church hall across the street from 10 Birch Street. The bands will be dressing and lining up at our hall and marching across the street to compete. After the competition we will be hosting an after party from about 7:00 pm to midnight. Mark this date in your calendar. We are looking to have between ten to fifteen bands competing. This will be an early start to St. Patrick’s Day. It will be a great way for the entire family to celebrate their Celtic roots. More details will be in the next newsletter and in some of the local publications as well.”

(Via www.bpdemeraldsociety.com – Read Full Article.)

Dec. 19-20, 2009

Tickets are now on sale for the 2009 edition of “The Pipes of Christmas.” The Celtic Christmas classic will celebrate its eleventh season with performances in New York and New Jersey this December.

NEW JERSEY CONCERT – SAT. DEC 19

Two concerts are scheduled for 2PM and 8PM on Saturday, December 19 at Central Presbyterian Church located at 70 Maple Street in Summit, NJ.

NYC CONCERT – SUN. DEC 20

The “Pipes” will also return to New York City on Sunday, December 20 at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 921 Madison Avenue (at 73rd Street). The Manhattan concert begins at 2:30 PM.

The concert presents the music of Christmas accompanied by a selection of readings taken from Scripture and the Celtic literature of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Featured performers include Andrew Weir from the film “Braveheart,” uilleann piper Christopher Layer, three-time New Englad fiddle champion Paul Woodiel, the Solid Brass ensemble, Scottish harpist Jennifer Port, and the Grade III Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Pipe Band of Redlands, CA.

Order Tickets Now

General admission tickets for the NJ concert are $50. Tickets for the NYC concert are $60.

Tickets for all performances are available via mail order. A downloadable ticket order form can be found on the concert’s website at www.pipesofchristmas.com.

Tickets for the NY concert may also be purchased online at www.smarttix.com or by phone at (212) 868-4444 or by mail order.

Premium VIP seats are available at both venues through membership in the “Friends of the Pipes of Christmas.”

About “The Pipes of Christmas”

Since making its debut in 1999, “The Pipes of Christmas” has played to standing room only audiences. Given the popularity of the program, a second concert was added in 2001 to accommodate the high-demand for tickets.

That same year, the concert began an award-winning partnership with HomeTowne Television by broadcasting concert highlights on Christmas Eve to an estimated 40,000 cable subscribers. Four productions have received the prestigious Telly Award for television production excellence.

Now a cherished holiday institution, the concert has provided audiences with a stirring and reverent celebration of the Christmas season and the Celtic spirit. Audience-goers return year after year to experience the program, many reporting that the Pipes of Christmas has become part of their family’s annual holiday traditions.

Piping Scholarships

Proceeds from the concert help fund three annual music scholarships. The Alex Currie Memorial Scholarship for Bagpipe was created in honor of the famed Canadian piper and is administered by the Gaelic College in Nova Scotia. An additional piping scholarship – The Pipe Major Kevin Ray Blandford Scholarship – is awarded annually by the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, Scotland.

“The Redlands Community Music Association will present ‘A Celtic Christmas’ featuring Highland Way and the >Kevin R. Blandford Memorial Pipe Band.

This third Celtic Christmas event will focus on the music of Scotland and will also pay tribute to Scotland’s beloved poet Robert Burns.

Celtic music and dance will ring in the joy of the season for an evening performance at Redlands High School Clock Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and for a matinee performance on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m.

Scotland native Brian Caldwell of Glasgow leads a musical journey through traditional and modern Celtic melodies.

Rounding out the evening will be the Kevin R. Blandford Memorial Pipe Band rousing the audience with soul stirring sounds of the Scottish bagpipes.

Preferred seating is $40 and general seating is $20. Children 12 and under will be admitted free with adults in general seating.

To purchase tickets please visit the RCMA website at www.redlandsbowl.org or call the Bowl Office at 793-7316.”

(Via www.newsmirror.net – Read Full Article.)

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It is a fantastic opportunity to receive tuition from some of the world’s top pipers and drummers. Tutors on this school include: Pipe Major Chris Armstrong, Glenn Brown, Ryan Canning, Callum Beaumont and drumming instructor Graham Brown.

This year the school offers more tuition packages to suit everyones needs.

- Five day School for Pipers and Drummers (run as normal starting on Monday 9am – Finishes Friday 3pm)

- Two and a half day series – This is a series of workshops held from Monday 9am – Wednesday 1pm. The other option is to start on Wednesday at 2pm until Friday 4pm.

- Single workshop options - This is an option for pipers to attend workshop(s) of their choice.

For full details about the school, the different workshops and the content as well as an online booking form please go to The New York School page on our website – http://www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/schools/new-york/

This school links with the Metro Cup, one of the most prestigious invitational solo piping competitions in North America. This year it takes place on Saturday 20th February and features a number of the world’s top solo pipers, including some of the teaching staff above. Why not come for the school and stay for this wonderful event too!

Chicago Celtic Pipe band looks for new members:

“About 12 bagpipers gathered inside the Estelle Sieb Community Center in Norridge Nov. 23 to practice with Pipe Major Chris Boyle.

The Chicago Celtic Pipe Band meets at the Sieb Center at 7:30 p.m. every Monday (except holidays).

The Chicago Celtic Pipe Band had an open house for Ridgewood High School band students at the Sieb Center Nov. 23. Neil Hansen (left) and Paul McHugh play the bagpipes.

The Chicago Celtic Pipe Band had an open house for Ridgewood High School band students at the Sieb Center Nov. 23. Instructor Charles Reece (mirror, right) helps students with a traditional drum rhythm.

The Chicago Celtic Pipe Band had an open house for Ridgewood High School band students at the Sieb Center Nov. 23. Instructor Charles Reece (middle) helps students with a traditional drum rhythm.

‘We just sit at the table, we start walking through all the new tunes, breaking them down, working on it, building them up,’ Boyle said. ‘As we get further and further in the year we spend more time on pipes. We’re working on the technique of playing, blowing, keeping a steady tone with the bagpipe, and then work on the finger execution so that we get it as tight as we possibly can. That’s the ultimate goal is basically to sound like one.

‘Then the drum corps will be working on their thing,’ he added. ‘They write specific scores to the tunes that we’re playing. So we get a nice integrated balance between the two different corps and that we have a nice solid sound.’

Pipe band manager Jim Enright said Ridgewood High School band members were invited to observe the practice in hopes of becoming new members.
“

(Via www.pioneerlocal.com – Read Full Article.)

“An estimated 400 students will walk the dais as SUNY Plattsburgh celebrates Winter Commencement, Saturday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. in the Field House on Rugar Street.

Free and open to the public, the event will feature Kristy Curry as the student speaker. Curry, who is graduating magna cum laude with a degree in marketing, will discuss agents of change in terms of the nation, the college and the individual. She will implore members of the Class of 2009 to become the agent of change that resides within everyone.

SUNY Plattsburgh President John Ettling will preside over the ceremony, with Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Higgins presenting the candidates for degrees. College Council Chair Arnold Amell and Vice Chair M. Catherine Hollinshead will present the diplomas.

The event will also feature music performed by the Adirondack Bass, Champlain District Bagpipe Band and Cardinal Singers.

Support from the Student Association helped to make this event possible.”

(Via readme.readmedia.com – Read Full Article.)

“Johnny ‘Bagpipes” Johnston shared a laugh with a packed auditorium at École secondaire catholique Thériault on Saturday.

He entertained the crowd with his humour and by playing everything from the Star Wars theme to AC/DC. Proceeds from his show benefited the Timmins Police Pipes & Drums and the host committee of the 2010 Canadian Police Curling Championships which are being played in Timmins next April.”

( View Video of Johnny Bagpipe.)

Capital First For National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland Bringing together some of Scotland’s most talented young musicians, the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland will perform a brand new show on 28th November at Edinburgh’s recently refurbished Usher Hall.

Entitled the ‘Dragon’s Lair‘, the performance will feature the band’s signature sound, giving fans a chance to see one of the most dynamic and exciting pipe bands in Scotland and introducing them to world class musicians at the beginning of their careers.

Dragon’s Lair will mark the first time the band has performed in Edinburgh since its inception in 2002 and will round off a spectacular year for the NYPBoS, which has seen them play for HRH Prince Charles at the National Piping Centre as well as concerts across the globe from Skye to Germany.

The band also teamed up with world famous piper, Carlos Nunez at the Chihuahua Festival in Mexico in 2007 and will again feature with him at Celtic Connections 2010.

Made up of the best young pipers and drummers from across Scotland, including 13 year-old Connor Sinclair, personal piper to both Sir Sean Connery and First Minister Alex Salmond, NYPBoS provides unique development opportunities for its young members who are aged from 10 to 25 and an exceptional musical experience for its audiences.

With many of its members already competing at the highest level with some of the world’s most successful pipe bands, this will be an unmissable performance. Alisdair McLaren, Director of the NYPB’S commented, “This concert will showcase the phenomenal talent of some of Scotland’s most exciting young performers. The Dragon’s Lair is a brand new concert for the band incorporating a fantastic blend of traditional and contemporary music.

The fusion of pipes and drums with electric guitar, keyboard synthesizer, stand up bass, fiddle and drum kit pushes the boundaries of the stereotypical pipe band concert making the band possibly one of the most entertaining concert bands to see”.

Tickets, priced from £10 are on sale now and are available from www.usherhall.co.uk on 0131 228 1153, or in person from the Usher Hall box office on Lothian Road.

: Music & Concerts – Tampa Bay Newspapers: “The Dunedin Celtic Festival is Saturday, Nov. 21, noon to 9:30 p.m., at Highlander Park, Dunedin Community Center, 1920 Pinehurst Road.

Hear plenty of Celtic music with both an afternoon and evening show scheduled. The event also will feature food, drink and Celtic craft vendors along with a family-friendly atmosphere.

This year’s featured Celtic rock bands will include Seven Nations, Poor Angus and Lucid Druid.

A band once featured on a CNN Worldbeat special, Seven Nations will take time from their busy touring schedule to revisit Dunedin for this year’s Celtic Festival. Touring since 1994, Seven Nations has been known to spend up to 301 days a year on the road.

Along with festivals and regular concerts, the band has landed some high-profile gigs including playing for the Torch Lighting Ceremony at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002; performing for the opening ceremony of the New York Marathon in 2001; and taking part in several symphony shows, including a performance with the Grammy-award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The name Seven Nations refers to the seven nations of the Celtic world, now known as Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Gallaecia.
“

(Via TB Weekly.)

Now in its eleventh year of touring nationwide, ‘A Celtic Christmas’ is an exciting exploration of Ireland’s rich cultural history that highlights the innocence and joy of the night before Christmas through story-telling, music, and dance. The performers recreate the warmth of Foley’s childhood Christmases in western Ireland with carols, reels, jigs, and stories.

‘Foley…is doing what his ancestors have done for years long before The Nutcracker or It’s a Wonderful Life. He is carrying on an ancient tradition…for the audiences that pack theaters across the United States every winter to see it,’ wrote the Mail Tribune.

Foley was born on a small farm in the remote parish of Teampall an Ghleanntáin in the West of Ireland. He is considered a master of the Irish narrative and a keeper of the flame for a priceless piece of Irish culture. ‘A Celtic Christmas’ also features Grammy Award-winning guitarist William Coulter, traditional sean-nós singer and harpist Sile Denvir, and world-champion level Irish dancer Brian Bigley on Irish fiddle, uilleann pipes, whistles, and flute.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm ( open daily in July and August ). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit clarkart.edu.”

(Via News Wire.)

15th – 19th February 2010

In 2010 we have made some changes to our school to allow you more flexibility in the schedule.

As normal we have an option for piping and drumming students to be taught throughout the entire week in groups of similar ability where instruction is given on all aspects of piping and a variety of new music is covered. The all inclusive cost of this option is $600.

This year we have also introduced the options of two half week piping packages (each priced at $300) which are entirely workshop based. From Monday to Wednesday we offer a series of workshops suitable for Novice – Intermediate standard pipers and from Wednesday to Friday we offer a second workshop series for Intermediate to Advanced level pipers. The workshops offered can be viewed on the New York School page on our website – scroll down to find a PDF brochure. I am sure you will agree there is excellent coverage of a number of major topics on offer.

In order to be as flexible as possible we are also making the piping workshops available as a pick ‘n mix option for $40 per workshop so that students can come to as few or as many as they wish. All of these options are available to book online here

We are offering an “early bird special” which will run from now until the 1st January 2010 where students will receive 10% off the quoted price. In addition to this we are offering a family discount of 10% (two or more people from the same family) and a band discount of 10% (five members or more of the same band). This early bird special is available online via the booking form page.

The school is held during President’s week so we hope that having it during this vacation will make it easier for you to attend. Also, we link in with the Metro Cup piping competition which is to be held on February 20th at the Holiday Inn, Newark. This event showcases some of the worlds top pipers in competition including some of our instructors so we hope this might appeal to you as a great way to end a fantastic week of piping.

I really hope that you might consider coming to our New York school. For more information on the school and booking please visit www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/schools/new-york/ and for information on the Metro Cup please visit www.themetrocup.com/

I would be pleased if you would pass this on to your band members and anyone else you believe would be interested in our school.

Sincerely,

Roddy MacLeod MBE,
Principal

The National Piping Centre Ltd.
Registered in Scotland no. 139271, Charity no. 020391
The Piping Centre Trading Ltd.
Registered in Scotland no. 162342
Glasgow International Piping Festival.
Registered in Scotland no. 256248, Charity no. 34875

November 11 marks Remembrance Day and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #46 will host the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony.

The day commemorates the sacrifices of armed forces members and civilians in times of war.

It is observed at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, which is the date of the end of the First World War.

BC Local