“My lesson was an
epiphany — my instructor put his finger precisely
on what I needed to do to improve. Great to have
plenty of time on the pipes in class!”
Anne Marie
deZeeuw, Kentucky session student
Highland Pipes Instructors
George Balderose
Brian Donaldson
Alasdair Gillies
Richmond Johnston
James MacColl
Scot Walker
George Balderose has been studying
with some of the world’s top Highland piping
instructors for more than three decades. During
much of this time, he has been developing methods
of teaching piping to adult beginners, and several
of his adult Highland piping students have won
firsts at EUSPBA-sanctioned piping competitions.
George has also been playing and teaching the
bellows smallpipes for more than fifteen years. He
has performed on the Highland pipes with the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, as a soloist for the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and with
championship Scottish and Irish dancers at concerts
and festivals throughout the eastern US. His
competitive successes include winning the
MacCrimmon Quaich for Grade 1 Piobaireachd four
times. George is also a member of the Scottish and
Irish performance ensemble Road to the Isles, which is on
the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on
Tour/Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation roster.
George will be at the following sessions:
June 13–18, 2010, Sonoma State University, Rohnert
Park, California
June 20–25, 2010, Macalester College, Saint Paul,
Minnesota
July 11–16, 2010, Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel,
Pennsylvania
July 25–30, 2010, Week 2, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Pipe Major Brian Donaldson, from
Cardenden, Fife, was taught to play the pipes by
his father, Pipe Major Andrew Donaldson, a renowned
piper and teacher. After leaving school, Brian
served his apprenticeship as a bagpipe maker at
Inveran House under the guidance of Jimmy Tweedie.
At a young age, Brian was playing with the world
famous Dysart & Dundonald pipe band, winning
all the major championships in Grade 1. In 1978,
Brian enlisted in the Scots Guards and served with
the regiment all over the world. He passed his Pipe
Majors course at the Army School of Piping,
Edinburgh Castle in 1982. After serving in the
Falklands War, he was posted to the Army School of
Piping as an instructor for three years. On his
return to the 2nd Battalion, he was promoted to
Pipe Sergeant and shortly after the amalgamation of
both battalions in 1993, Brian was promoted to the
rank of Pipe Major in 1995.
His tuition skills and playing ability were in
demand, and in 1998 he became Pipe Major at the
Army training regiment Glencorse. Eventually, the
military centralized all Army piping and drumming,
and Brian served 22 years at the Army School of
Bagpipe & Highland Drumming in Edinburgh.
Throughout Brian’s military career, he has become
one of the most renowned pipers in the British
army, following in the footsteps of Pipe Major
Willie Ross and Pipe Major Angus MacDonald. He has
achieved an endless list of prizes, including the
Gold Medal, Oban; the Gold medal and two Clasps at
the Skye Invitational; the Bratach Gorm, London;
second in the Gold medal at the Northern Meetings,
three times; the Donald MacDonald, Quaich; the MSR
Argyllshire Gathering, three times; MSR Northern
Meetings, achieving a double in 1984; winning both
MSR competitions at Oban and Inverness in the same
year, the MSR London and MSR Grants competition;
and numerous invitations to the famous Grants
whisky invitational competition.
After a successful military career, Brian has now
gone full circle, back to his trade as a bagpipe
craftsman taking the name of Inveran Bagpipe
Makers into the 21st century. He continues
to compete at a high level, very much in tune
with the ‘Stradivarius’ Great Highland Bagpipe
instrument he is playing and produces at the
Inveran workshop.
Brian will be at the following sessions:
June 13–18, 2010, Sonoma State University, Rohnert
Park, California
June 20–25, 2010, Macalester College, Saint Paul,
Minnesota
June 27–July 2, 2010, North Central College,
Naperville, Illinois
July 11–16, 2010, Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel,
Pennsylvania
July 18–23, 2010, Week 1, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
July 25–30, 2010, Week 2, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Pipe
Major Alasdair Gillies has had an
astounding number of successes at piping
competitions, winning more Highland bagpiping
championships than anyone in recent history.
Alasdair won every event he entered at the
Northern Meeting in Inverness in 1986. He won
the Inverness Former Winners MSR 11 times
between 1986 to 2005, more than anyone
previously. And in 2002, he won the Glenfiddich
Championship MSR for the sixth time. No wonder
the readers of Piper &
Drummer magazine named Alasdair as the
best piper of the 20th century. Alasdair is also
in demand as a teacher and piping competition
judge. For more than twelve years, he lead the
piping program at Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And he formerly served
17 years as piper and Pipe Major with the
Queen’s Own Highlanders, preparing recruits to
be regimental pipers. He is also a member of the
Spirit of
Scotland, an all star Grade 1 pipe band
comprised of the world’s top solo players for
competing at the 2008 World Pipe Band
Championships, and featured in the documentary
On the Day. Alasdair is the
principal piping instructor for Balmoral School.
He is also represented by Music Tree Artist Management,
performing solo and with his ensemble Píobaire.
Alasdair will be at the following sessions:
June 13–18, 2010, Sonoma State University, Rohnert
Park, California
June 20–25, 2010, Macalester College, Saint Paul,
Minnesota
June 27–July 2, 2010, North Central College,
Naperville, Illinois
July 11–16, 2010, Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel,
Pennsylvania
July 18–23, 2010, Week 1, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
July 25–30, 2010, Week 2, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Richmond Johnston became a
Balmoral School administrator shortly after his
first attendance at the school in 1991. Serving
that post, he’s had the opportunity to study with
Mike Cusack, Alasdair Gillies, Norman Gillies, Jack
Lee, James MacColl, John MacDoughall, Iian
MacLellan, Jimmy McIntosh, Adrian Melvin, Gordon
Mooney, Iian Morrison, Donald MacPhee, Jackie
Pincet, Nancy Tunnicliffe, Scot Walker, and John
Wilson. He’s an experienced solo piper and also
competes with the Grade 3 Capital Region Celtic
Pipe Band of Albany, New York. A number of his
students have become award-winning pipers. Being a
late starter himself, and having many adult
students, he enjoys teaching the adult beginner.
Richmond will be at the following sessions:
July 18–23, 2010, Week 1, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
July 25–30, 2010, Week 2, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
James MacColl was born in 1928 in
Shotts, Scotland. Jim’s first teacher was P/M Tom
McAllister. He later received tuition from P/M
Willie Ross, Iain MacPherson and Robert Reid. He
was a member of the Shotts & Dykehard Pipe Band
from 1939 to 1950. Between 1950 and 1954, he won
most of the major piping awards in Scotland,
including the aggregate at Cowal, four years in
succession, and the Oban Gold Medal. He emigrated
to California in 1955 and, since that time, has
taught many of the top players on the west coast of
the US.
Jim will be at the following session:
June 13–18, 2010, Sonoma State University, Rohnert
Park, California
Scot Walker of Lehigh Valley,
Pennsylvania was rated #1 Overall Solo Piping
Competitor 7 out of 8 years by the Eastern US Pipe
Band Association. He has won firsts at nearly all
of the major US Solo Championships. In Scotland, he
has won first prizes in the professional
competitions at the games in Dornoch, Strathpeffer,
Lonach, and Cowal, and others. Currently, he serves
on the Music Faculty of Moravian College as
instructor of Bagpipe Music. His students have
distinguished themselves at EUSPBA Amateur
competitions throughout the eastern US.
Scot will be at the following sessions:
July 18–23, 2010, Week 1, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
July 25–30, 2010, Week 2, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg,
Pennsylvania
“From the
individual attention to the basic fundamentals of
drum maintenance, this was a well-rounded education
— all in 4 ½ days.”
Gwyneth Duncan, California session student
Scottish Snare
and Bass Drum Instructors
Gordon Bell
Andrew Hoinacki
Jon Quigg
Gordon Bell began drumming at the
age of eight under the guidance of Norman MacLeod
in the Kenmure Pipeband. He also received tuition
from the legendary Alec Duthart. Gordon took over
the corp in 1975; the band eventually changed the
name to the Parlin & District.The band and corp
dominated the pipeband scene throughout the 80s in
the EUSPBA, winning the North American Championship
in Grade 2, and placing them in Grade 1. He has
also been a member of Muirhead & Sons, Kenmure,
Worcester Kiltie, 78th Fraser Highlanders, and the
City of Washington Pipe Bands. Gordon also saw a
great deal of success in the solo field winning the
EUSPBA Overall Champion each year from 1979 to
1987. He has recorded with The Empire Brass
Quintet, 78th Frasers Live in Scotland, and with
his own Celtic Rock group 51 Ash in which he plays
the bass guitar.
Gordon will be at the following sessions:
June 20–25, 2010, Macalester College, Saint Paul,
Minnesota
July 18–23, 2010, Week 1, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
July 25–30, 2010, Week 2, East Stroudsburg
University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Andrew Hoinacki started drumming
at six years old and in the few years to follow
learned tenor, bass and snare. After formative
years in a junior band program, he has been
competing with bands in Grade 2 and Grade 1 since
the age of 14, including eight years as a leading
drummer. Andrew’s solo accolades at the
Professional level include MWPBA Champion Supreme,
WUSPBA Champion Supreme, and United States
Champion, in addition to many awards in the amateur
grades. His well-rounded experience and
down-to-earth approach have made him a sought-after
instructor for all forms of pipe band drumming and
band coaching. Even at his young age, he has served
as an active adjudicator of drumming and ensemble
for a decade, and is currently recognized on both
the MWPBA and WUSPBA judging panels. Andrew is a
native of Chicago where he is a business consultant
and oversees multiple services advancing the art
and education of Scottish drumming.
Andrew will be at the following sessions:
June 13–18, 2010, Sonoma State University, Rohnert
Park, California
June 27–July 2, 2010, North Central College,
Naperville, Illinois
Jon Quigg began his drumming
career in the Annapolis Pipe Band in Maryland at
the age of 13. His primary influences include John
Bosworth, Tom Kee and Alex Duthart. In 1976, at the
age of 16, he moved into the professional solo
competitor ranks and into the Grade 2 Denny and
Dunipace Pipe Band of Washington, DC. He became
Drum Sergeant of the “the Denny band,” now named
the City of Washington Pipe Band, in 1989 and his
solo and band successes continued through today —
not the least of which was a Grade 2 World
Championship in 1999. Today, City of
Washington is only one of three Grade 1 pipe bands
in the US and Jon is its drum sergeant. Since 1980,
he has been a pipe band drumming clinician around
the country and as far afield as Tokyo and Hong
Kong, and continues to teach, compose and perform.
Jon will be at the following session:
July 11–16, 2010, Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel,
Pennsylvania