Washington Pipers’ Association

Washington Scottish Pipe Band will perform at this Saturday’s Washington Pipers’ Association mini-gathering around 11:00 am, after Adult piping begins. The Washington Scottish Pipe Band is a Grade III band based in Seattle dedicated to the promotion of Scottish culture through performance and education. Washington Scottish traces their roots back to the late 19th century, making them one of the oldest pipe bands in the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to volunteer and WPA Board Member Jonathan Farrell for inviting top Northwest pipers and drummers to adjudicate for us again this weekend. 

Judging drumming Saturday is Cameron Reid.  Cameron started drumming at age 10 with the Comox Valley Pipe Band Society. He joined the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band in 2001 and won the Juvenile World Championships in 2003. Cameron placed 3rd at the 2004 World Solo Drumming Championships in the Juvenile Class, won the grade 2 World Pipe Band Championships in 2006 with RMM, and last year won the grade 2 North American Championships in 2007 with Triumph Street Pipe Band. Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band was promoted to Grade 1 this year and is one of the first bands in North America to secure new “band naming” sponsorship in recent years.  Since announcing the new band, they rapidly received sponsorship from three major businesses.  For more on this story, see this article on pipes|drums  from December 2007.  There are only 39 Grade 1 pipe bands in the world, and two of them are based in the Northwest.

WPA drummers benefit from detailed feedback and suggestions about their performances from many of the top drummers in the Northwest and around the world.  Thanks Cam for joining us this weekend!

Cameron is joined by band mate Alex Galloway. Alex grew up in Vancouver, BC and started piping in 1986 with instruction from Jimmy Wilson and Jack Lee. After moving up through the amateur grades with competitive success he was invited to compete at the Nicol Brown amateur invitational in Albany, New York. Alex moved into the open class in 2001 and continues to compete in the local circuit. Alex has played with the White Spot Pipe Band, Maple Ridge Legion, Robert Malcolm Memorial (gr 2) and now with Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band. He has won both the World and North American championships in the grade 2 band level. Alex continues to teach piping and serves on the BCPA board of directors.

Northwest Junior Pipe Band performed on live television today for St. Patrick’s Day on King 5, and recorded a story for Northwest Cable News.  See the NWJPBlog for details, and catch some of the video online.

We’ll post links or info for any Washington Pipe Pand or piping and drumming news about our members, contact us to let us know about it!

Thanks again to our judges Will Nichols and Stephen Farrell for ensuring a successful competition today.  It was great to see Elliott Bay Pipe Band and Kenmore and District Pipe Bands performing for us, donating their time to support WPA audiences and providing us with some great music in the morning and afternoon.

In addition, enough cannot be said about our many volunteers who ensure all the pieces are in place.  Angie Maier; our membership database board member has been taking on preparing the registration forms and competitor sheets in advance for everyone that needs them.  Without this information, our events would fall apart.  Johnathan Farrell has been bringing in the top talent from our area and beyond to judge our competitions every month.  Thanks to Diane Axworthy for helping ensure financial stability and all payments are made on time.  Thanks to Doug Stone and Joe Alger today for Stewarding (and Doug, thanks for introducing drummers as well!) and thanks to Alex MacLeod and Steve Wheeler for stewarding at prior events this year.  Thank you so much Rochelle Wheeler and Jody Horn for doing Registration today.  Rochelle has led our registration this year has figured out the role quickly!  Thanks also to Sadrina Dorn for helping with registration at our first two events.  Thanks to Weatherly Schiele for all the amazing photos (photos from this event coming soon) and helping plan the season at our meetings before the season started.  Kudos to Michelle Makinson for volunteering to fill our open Secretary position on the Board of Directors.  The huge outpouring of support…people willing to roll up their sleeves and make our events continue to thrive…is what will keep our organization a fixture in our community. 

Chanter (Slow Air):

1. Paul Vegors (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)  

Grade 5 Piping (Slow Air)

1. Sean Sele
2. Russell Prewitt
3. George Meier (Elliott Bay Pipe Band)
4. Karl Stahlfeld
5. Stewart Nevling (Olympia Higlanders)
6. Malcolm Roux (Elliott Bay Pipe Band)

Adult Piping – Any March

1. Diane Axworthy
2. Allan MacLeod (Washington Scottish Pipe Band)
3. Rochelle Eldridge
4. Cleda Thompson (Kenmore and District Pipe Band)

Adult Piping – Slow Air

1. Diane Axworthy
2. Allan MacLeod (Washington Scottish Pipe Band)
3. Cleda Thompson (Kenmore and District Pipe Band)
4. Rochelle Eldridge  

Grade 4 Piping – 6/8 March (12 competitors)

1. Megan Rogers (Sir James McDonald Pipe Band)
2. Sophie McDuffey (Sir James McDonald Pipe Band)
3. Sam Horn (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
4. David Pollock
5. Eric Roux (Elliott Bay Pipe Band)

Grade 4 Piping – Strathespey & Reel

1. Aaron Stone (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
2. Jan Begg (Elliott Bay Pipe Band)

Grade 3 Piping – 6/8 March

1. Alexander Schiele (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
2. James Makinson (Keith Highlanders Pipe Band)
3. Alex MacLeod (Washington Scottish Pipe Band)
4. Chris Cahoon (Keith Highlanders Pipe Band)

Grade 3 Piping – Jig

1. Alexander Schiele (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
2. James Makinson (Keith Highlanders Pipe Band)
3. Chris Cahoon (Keith Highlanders Pipe Band)
4. Alex MacLeod (Washington Scottish Pipe Band) 

Grade 1 Piping - March, Strathespey & Reel

1. Jonathan Farrell (Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band)
2. Christopher Donald (Keith Highlanders Pipe Band)

Grade 1 Piping – Jig/Hornpipe

1. Jonathan Farrell (Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band)
2. Christopher Donald (Keith Highlanders Pipe Band)

Beginning Drumming (Drum Pad)

1. Colin Jones  (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)

Grade 4 Drumming – Any March

1. Amber Stone (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
2. Bryce Kreger (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
3. Morgan Schiele (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
4. Steven Wheeler (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)
5. Brady McMahon (Washington Scottish)

Tenor Drumming – Any Tune

1. Kendra MacLeod (Washington Scottish Pipe Band) 
2. Colleen Salmi (Northwest Junior Pipe Band)

Thanks to Will Nichols, Piping Judge and Stephen Farrell, Drumming Judge for agreeing to judge contestants at the Saturday March 1st WPA mini-gathering.  Events begin at 10:00 am.  Doors open at 9:00 am for registration.  Directions and info available here>>.

Will Nichols plays bagpipes with Simon Fraser Univeristy Pipe Band.  He moved to Washington from Alaska where he began learning pipes (traveling to BC regularly for piping camps).  He played with the World Champion Robert Malcom Memorial Grade 2 band, and last year when he won the BC Pipers’ Association Professional Knockout competition…he was the first ever “first year” professional to win the event in it’s 38 year history.

Stephen Farrell plays with Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band; newly promoted to become the second Grade 1 pipe band in the Northwest.  Stephen is an alumni of Northwest Junior Pipe Band and was the “Lead Stroke” (lead snare drummer) for the Northwest MacGregor Pipe Band.  Stephen was also a member of the World Champion RMM Grade 2 band, and a successful solo drumming competitor.

When Adult piping competition ends around 11:00 am, enjoy Elliott Bay Pipe Band performing their competition medley for us before taking to the BC Pipers Association Annual Gathering later this month.

At the end of the day, following Grade 1 piping; see Kenmore and District Pipe Band perform; approximately 1:00 pm.

Visit our Photo album to see the pictures from January’s event.

We’ve had a lot of interest in band performances this year.  If our events continue to run as smoothly as January’s went, we may add more opportunities, but the current list of 2008 events has been updated.