Celtic Piping & Drumming Program - National Celtic Festival

Get ready for the Celtic Piping & Drumming Program at the National Celtic Festival at Portarlington, Victoria during the long weekend in June (11 - 14).

This event (on the Sunday of the Festival) will include smallpipe & uilleann pipe workshops, massed bands, small group and solo Celtic piping & drumming contests, and a concert featuring various Celtic bagpipes. The contests are open to any Celtic bagpipe - players of small pipes, border pipes & UP are particularly encouraged to enter.

More information about the P&D Program as well as massed band and contest application forms are available on the Festival website: www.nationalcelticfestival.com - under the Applications menu.

Note: Application close 14 May 2010 and places will be limited.

ALL MASSED BAND AND CONTEST PERFORMERS WILL RECEIVE A DAY PASS TO THE FESTIVAL

South West Coast Piper Drummer workshops

Applications are now open for the South West Coast Piper Drummer workshops are on again in Warrnambool during 7 - 9 May 2010.

Application Form and more info is available from the Warrnambool & District Pipes & Drums website. Come along for a great weekend of playing, learning & fun. Workshops include Great Highland Bagpipes, Scottish smallpipes, snare, tenor and bass drums as well as Drum Majoring and Highland Dancing. Book now to secure your place.

Highland bands run out of puff

Source: The Bendigo Advertiser
A CRITICAL shortage of highland band pipers is affecting several visiting bands and may stop them taking part in the Maryborough Highland Gathering street march on Friday.

Officials are very concerned that a reduction in the number of younger people learning the bagpipes is having a detrimental effect on pipe band numbers.

With the retirement of older members, it has reached a critical stage in the viability of some pipe bands.

read full article...

macTunes?

From the Piping Times news feed...

Skye-based MacMeanmna Records have launched a sort of iTunes

(macTunes?) download facility of their Gaelic music and piping catalogue. The details are here. If you read the spiel you'll see that they are planning new CDs with Dr Angus MacDonald (left) and the BBC's Iain MacInnes. This is in addition to the Northern Meeting CD and the Stuart Liddell CD they have already put out. Individual tracks cost a mere 79p. One of the men behind the company is Cailean Maclean the Piping Convenor at the Skye Gathering. So good luck with the new venture Cailean and the more piping the better.

Lochaber No More - featurette

Here's a short clip and interviews with Braemar about their Lochaber No More show. Be sure to see it at LaTrobe University on Sunday 20 September. Details at www.braemar.info. ...yes, I will be playing with them too!

New digital Piping World e-zine

New free digital edition available from: Duntroon Publishing

A History of the Jacobite Rebellions

La Trobe University and the School of Historical and European Studies is presenting a Free, Public Lecture on Sunday 20th September 2009 at 3pm.

This will be a special, extended performance of 'Lochaber No More' a history of the Jacobite rebellions and the Highland Clearances in narrative and song.

'Lochaber No More' has been performed to full houses at Celtic and Folk festivals across Australia in 2008 and 2009 and has received a standing ovation at each performance.

Please register at http://www.latrobe.edu.au/ctlc/public-lecture/index.html

The performance will be introduced and contextualised by Dr Jennifer Ridden of the History Program, School of Historical and European Studies and will run for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with a 20 minute intermission.

See http://www.braemar.info/lochaber.html for additional information and reviews

From: GFMC