James Haddow McIntosh, M.B.E.
Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony
(presented June 30, 2005 by George Balderose, Director)
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Balmoral School of Piping,
I would like at this time to honor its co-founder and main inspiration,
James McIntosh, MBE. We have decided to do this because of the inescapable
fact that for the last 27 years we have had the privilege of his attention,
his care for our organization, and his dedication to piping.
To touch upon some of his career highlights:
· 1925 Born in Dundee,
Scotland
· 1939-49 served as Piper
with the Cameron Highlanders, British Military forces
· 1950’s & 60’s – Taught
piping in the Scottish public schools; : Introduced grading on ability
rather than age, and instituted a class to prepare young pipers for an
annual competition.
· 1961-70 – Studied exclusively
with the Royal pipers at Balmoral, R.U. Brown and R.B. Nicol; Established
a full-time bagpipe reed-making business.
· During this time he also
developed the Naill chanter, which continues to be one of the favorite
chanters of top Scottish competitiors.
· 1968-78- won most of the
top level Scottish piping competitions. Served on the BBC Music Committee.
· 1978 – came to the USA
for the first time at my invitation and co-founded the Balmoral School
of Piping, based in Pittsburgh.
· 1984 Emigrated to the USA
and settled in Pittsburgh
· 1980’s and 90’s: Through
the Balmoral Schools Jim taught the only Americans to win the top solo
competitions in Scotland: Mike Cusack and Mike Rogers, and taught many
of the successful Scottish, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand
players as well.
· 1985 appointed Director
Piping at Carnegie-Mellon University.
· 1989 instituted at CMU
the first Bachelor of Performing Arts degree program for bagpipe music
in the entire world;
· 1990-94 Elected for two
terms as President of the EUSPBA
· 1994 Awarded the Member
of the British Empire medal by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace
for his contributions and services to traditional piping.
· 1998 retired from CMU
· 2002 was awarded the prestigious
Balvenie Medal of Scotland for his services to piping.
· In 2003 founded the Balmoral
Highlanders Pipe Band.
Beyond these distinguished career highlights, Jim McIntosh through the
Balmoral Schools has directly taught over 2000 Americans to improve their
skills on the Great Highland Bagpipe. He has actively taught piping at
the Balmoral School each year since 1978, and his guidance has been essential
to the growth and development of the organization. It is not an exaggeration
at all to say that his work with Balmoral has had the profound impact of
raising the standard of American piping both in the international competitive
arena and in the many areas of the USA that he has reached through the
Balmoral organization.
His high standards in reed making, bagpipe design, developing piping
organizations, teaching, and performance have been an inspiration to many,
many pipers throughout the world. From Scotland to the USA, to Canada,
Brittany, Australia, & New Zealand, Jim McIntosh’s name has been synonymous
with excellence in piping throughout his entire playing lifetime, nearly
70 years of piping!
Therefore, on behalf of the Balmoral School’s Board of Directors, it
is with a sense of honor and with great pleasure to present to James
Haddow McIntosh, MBE, this Lifetime Achievement Award in gratitude for
his life of excellence in piping and for his outstanding contributions
to the Balmoral School of Highland Piping.
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The
Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming