News

Entries are now open for the National Piping Centre Otago Street Competition

The first CLASP competition of 2020 will be held in the National Piping Centre, Otago Street, on Saturday 11th January. The closing date for entries will be Sunday 5th January 2020 and the draw will be published on Tuesday 7th January via the CLASP website.

To give competitors an idea of timings; there will be two performance rooms running at the same time, one for Piobaireachd and the other for Light Music. Start time for both Piobaireachd and Light Music will be approximately 9.30am with an approximate finish time of 4.30pm (Numbers dependant).

 

Dr J David Hester

CLASP and all members of the National Piping Centre team would like to send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Dr J David Hester. David died suddenly on Thursday, September 12th, 2019. Last October David made the trip from America to attend the CLASP workshop weekend at the National Piping Centre. It was clear to see his passion for piping and  Piobaireachd in particular.
David was instrumental in the set up of The Alt Pibroch Club in May 2013 as a collaboration with Barnaby Brown, supported by the significant contributions of Roderick Cannon and Allan MacDonald. The aim of this foundation was to; 'expand contemporary pibroch interpretation by making challenging historical material easier to find, understand and integrate into musical performance. It has grown into a suite of four websites with a collaborative commons philosophy' (Taken from http://www.altpibroch.com/)
RIP

Results from Northern Meetings 2019

Results from CLASP (Amateur Solo Piping Competition)

Overall Winners
Grade 3 - Hector Thomson
Grade 2 - Dugald MacLeod
Grade 1 - David MacKenzie

Grade 1 Piobaireachd
1st Bianca Kail
2nd David MacKenzie
3rd Stephen Ross
4th Con Houlihan
5th Gordon Hislop
6th Iain Kirkwood

Grade 2 Piobaireachd
1st William Wardrope
2nd Dorothy Moodie
3rd Dugald MacLeod
4th David Livingstone
5th Stephen Whitton

Grade 3 Piobaireachd
1st Hector Thomson
2nd Sven Vollberg
3rd Robert Thomson

Grade 3 Piobaireachd Ground
1st Hector Thomson
2nd Sven Vollberg

Grade 1 - 2/4 March
1st David MacKenzie
2nd Bianca Kail
3rd William Wardrope
4th Stephen Whitton
5th Con Houlihan
6th James Murray

Grade 1 - Strathspey & Reel
1st David MacKenzie
2nd William Wardrope
3rd Stephen Ross
4th James Murray
5th James Waugh
6th Stewart Allan

Grade 2 - 2/4 March
1st Douglas Maxwell
2nd Dugald MacLeod
3rd David Livingstone

Grade 2 - Strathspey & Reel
1st Douglas Maxwell
2nd Dugald MacLeod
3rd David Livingstone

Grade 3 - 2/4 March 
1st Cameron o Neill
2nd Sven Vollberg
3rd Hector Thomson
4th Robert Thomson
5th Carol Murphy

Grade 3 - Strathspey & Reel
1st Cameron o Neill
2nd Hector Thomson
3rd Sven Vollberg
4th Robert Thomson
5th Carol Murphy

New CLASP Set Tune List

There will be two lists, each with six tunes. List 1 will be used for Grade 1 and 2 competitors.
Grade 1 competitors will submit three Piobaireachds. Two tunes from list 1 and one tune of their own choice.
Grade 2 competitors will submit two Piobaireachds. One tune from List 1 and one tune from list 2.
Grade 3 competitors will submit one Piobaireachd, which must be selected from list 2.

Please note, there will be some competitions exempt from the set tune list.
These competitions are as follows:

  • World Solo Amateur - Piping Live!
  • Northern Meetings - Inverness
  • Luss Highland Games
  • Rosneath Highland Games
  • Balloch Highland Games
  • Inveraray Highland Games
  • Chatsworth Country Fair

You can submit your own choice of tunes at the exempt competitions (your own choice can be tunes from the set tune list if you want)

The new Set List will come into effect from October 2020

List 1 
Grade 1 competitors should select two tunes from this list and one of their own choice. Grade 2 graded players should pick one tune from this list and one tune from List 2.

Set List 1.
1. MacMhurich's Salute-Donald MacLeod's Collection of Piobaireachd (New release)
2. Massacre of Glencoe -  Kilberry & PS6
3. Rout of Glenfruin - Kilberry & PS8
4. MacLeod's Controversy - PS10
5. Flame of Wrath for Patrick Caogach - PS5 & Kilberry Book
6. Black Donald’s March - PS3 & Kilberry Book
Set List 2-Grade 2 & Grade 3 graded players should pick one tune from this list.
1. Lament for Finlay - PS13  P.429
2. Garden of Roses-Donald MacLeod's Collection of Piobaireachd-(New release)
3. Tulloch Ard - Kilberry & PS6
4. Sir James MacDonald of the Isles Lament - PS7 & Kilberry Book
5. March for a beginner - Kilberry Book
6. Munro's Salute - PS11

Northern Meetings Draw, 2019

Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) - Run in association with The Northern Meeting Piping Competitions

Friday 30th August 2019 – Starting Time 9 am
Judge - Alex Gandy
Venue – Eden Court Theatre, Inverness   Room - Jim Love Studio

Piobaireachd Events

Grade 3

  1. Hector Thomson (+Ground)
  2. Robert Thomson
  3. Sven Vollberg (+Ground)

Grade 2

  1. Dugald Macleod
  2. Stephen Whitton
  3. Dorothy Moodie
  4. David Livingstone
  5. William Wardrope

Grade 1

  1. Gordon Hislop
  2. Iain Kirkwood
  3. Stephen Ross
  4. Bianca Kail
  5. Stewart Allan
  6. David Mackenzie
  7. Douglas Maxwell
  8. Con Houlihan
  9. James Thomas Murray

 Lunch Break – 1 Hour approximately

 After Lunch

Light Music Events

Grade 3

  1. Sven Vollberg
  2. Cameron O’ Neill
  3. Carol Murphy
  4. Hector Thomson
  5. Robert Thomson

 Grade 2

  1. David Livingstone
  2. Douglas Maxwell
  3. Dugald Macleod

Grade 1

  1. Stewart Allan
  2. Stephen Ross
  3. William Wardrope
  4. David Mackenzie
  5. Iain Kirkwood
  6. Bianca Kail
  7. Stephen Whitton
  8. Gordon Hislop
  9. James Thomas Murray
  10. Con Houlihan

Results & Prize Giving

 

CLASP 2018/2019 Overall League Winners

Pictured here with their clasps: Bill Copland (Grade 3) Robert Wilson (Grade 1) & Stewart Allan (Grade 2). The clasps were presented to the winners at the Piping Live! festival, 2019. Congratulations to all three winners on a fantastic achievement! 

Grade 1 Results – ‘World Amateur Solo Piping Competition’ at Piping Live! 2019

 

 

 

 

 

Overall Winner of CLASP Grade 1 was Charles 'Charlie' Morris from California, USA. Pictured here with the Dr Colin Caird Quaich. Events were judged by Dr.Jack Taylor and Sarah Muir.

Full Results:
Piobaireachd 
1st Charles Morris
2nd Benjamin Elliot
3rd Stephen Ross

MSR 
1st Charles Morris
2nd Robert Wilson
3rd James Murray

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Charles Morris
2nd Robert Wilson
3rd Benjamin Elliot

 

Grade 2 Results – ‘World Amateur Solo Piping Competition’ at Piping Live! 2019



 

 

 

 

 

Overall Winner of Grade 2 - 'World Solo Amateur Piping Competition' at Piping Live! was Anne Gallo (USA) pictured here with  judge Donald MacPhee.

Full Results:
Piobaireachd
1st Dugald MacLeod
2nd Sultan Al Rawahi
3rd Anne Gallo

2/4 March 
1st Dugald MacLeod
2nd Anne Gallow
3rd Douglas Hamilton

Strathspey & Reel
1st Anne Gallo
2nd David Livingstone
3rd Douglas Hamilton

Jig
1st Dugald MacLeod
2nd David Livingstone
3rd Douglas Maxwell

Grade 3 Results – ‘World Amateur Solo Piping Competition’ at Piping Live! 2019

 

 

 

 

 

Overall Winner Arnold Edwards pictured here with Piping Live! volunteer Andy Aitken

Full Piobaireachd 
1st Arnold Edwards
2nd Ali Abdul Salam
3rd Stephen Ross Pack

Piobaireachd Ground
1st Stephen Ross Pack
2nd Ali Abdul Salam
3rd Joe Moore

2/4 March
1st Arnold Edwards
2nd Jeremy Levif
3rd Garry Murphy

Strathspey & Reel
1st Sultan Al Rawahi
2nd Al Abdul Salam
3rd Hector Thomson

Jig 
1st Sultan Al Rawahi
2nd Garry Murphy
3rd Arnold Edwards

Grade 3 – Draw for World Solo Amateur Piping Competition at Piping Live! 2019

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 3 World Solo Amateur Piping Competition at Piping Live!  - Monday 12th August

Venue St Aloysius College, Glasgow
Judge: Dr. Simon McKerrell
Starting time - 9.30am

Piobaireachd - 9.30am

  1. Stephen McCusker (+Ground)
  2. Stephen Ross Pack (+ Ground)
  3. John B Hunt (+Ground)
  4. Joe Moore
  5. James McKenna (+Ground)
  6. Arnold Edwards
  7. Hector Thomson (+Ground)
  8. Robert Thomson
  9. Megan Kenney
  10. Rebecca Morris (Ground only)
  11. Jeremy Levif
  12. Al Abdul Salam (+ Ground)
  13. Richard King (+Ground)

Light Music - After Lunch 

  1. Megan Kenney
  2. Al Abdul Salam
  3. James McKenna
  4. Garry Murphy
  5. Sultan Al Rawahi
  6. Hector Thomson
  7. Rebecca Morris
  8. Carol Murphy
  9. Joe Moore
  10. Cameron O’ Neill
  11. Stephen Ross Pack
  12. Arnold Edwards
  13. John B Hunt
  14. Robert Thomson
  15. Richard King
  16. Jeremy Levif

Prize Giving after competition finishes