Washington Pipers Association is pleased to welcome top talent in piping and drumming from British Columbia to our event on Saturday, May 14th. David Bowman, the aggregate winner in Professional Side Drumming at the BCPA Annual Gathering and Andrew Lee, who won 2nd place in the Gold Medal at Winter Storm this year are joining us. Both play with the six time World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. We’re lucky to have such remarkable talent and opportunity so close, and find them willing and excited to come and help at our events.
Andrew Lee from Surrey, BC has been piping for most of his 23 years, having started at the age of 5. He was born into a family of pipers, with his father and uncle being the founders and leaders of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.
Andrew has won many piping prizes, including the BC Pipers’ Association Grand Aggregates in grade 3 and twice in grade 1. Andrew moved up to professional in 2004 and won a number of prizes in the very competitive B.C. piping scene. He won the United States Silver Medal competitions in Kansas City in 2007. In 2010, Andrew won the United States Gold Medal for piobaireachd in Kansas City.
As well as his North American success, Andrew has been a regular prizewinner at events in Scotland, including 2nd prize in the B Strathspey Reel at Oban in 2010.
Andrew was a member of the Robert Malcolm Memorial juvenile pipe band for several years, finishing off as pipe major of the band. He won three World Juvenile Championships with RMM, and he has won the World Championship with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.
David Bowman
David Bowman at WPA, 2009
David is a member of the six-time World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band based in Burnaby, British Columbia. Joining in the fall of 2007, David has captured two World Pipe Band Championships and two World Drum Corps Championships with the band in 2008 and 2009.
Before joining SFU, he spent five seasons with the Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band. He began to learn pipe band drumming at the age of 6 under the instruction of his father, Lee Bowman, and later from John Fisher, a world-renowned percussionist and technician.
Along with his band accomplishments, David has begun to establish himself as a successful professional soloist throughout North America and abroad. David competed at the 2007 and 2009 World Solo Drumming Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He is a regular prize winner at the MHAF Gold Medal Drumming event in Kansas City, placing 4th in 2010. David was awarded the BC Piper’s Association Grand Aggregate for Professional Drumming for both the 2009 and 2010 seasons, and looks forward to another successful solo season in 2011. He sits as an ‘A’ level drumming adjudicator on both the PPBAM and BC Piper’s Association panels.
