Piobaireachd Society

Greetings, here is a message I received from the Piobaireachd Society,
Scotland.
Thought some may be interested. regards, Ron

Message:
Greetings to all,
It is a wee while since I last emailed you all with an update on the
progress so far with the website, so I thought now was a good time to
get in touch again.
I am very pleased to see that users continue to register with us,
showing that they have an interest in what we are doing, this is most
encouraging.
A very big welcome to everyone who has registered since I last sent
out a report, I have emailed some of you if you were on line when I
was working on the site, at this time I see those who are logged in.
Once again I will point out that the main advantage to us is that we
have your email address, this is, of course, kept strictly private,
and it enables us to keep in touch.
The main changes since the last letter are in the manuscript section
where you will see that we have now completed both volumes of the
Campbell Cantaireachd as well as Peter Reid's Manuscript and all 7
volumes of Glen's printed Piobaireachd.
The tunes in Glen's 7 books are addressed in a single index. Where
applicable, these works are all linked up in the Concordance.
The work being progressed at the moment is the Angus MacKay
Manuscript, we have about a third of the tunes inboard at the moment
and hope to have the rest completed within the next Month. Although
this work has not yet been made accessable, the tunes that we do have
inboard are, in fact, linked up in the Concordance, these are
annotated K1 and K2 and can be viewed in the first 3 sections of the
concordance.
Another new feature of the site is the sound clips section and this is
proving to be most interesting and is constantly used. We have many
more recordings and as time will permit we will include more of these.
In the background there is also constant maintenance work going on
which, though unseen, is improving the site.
There is another website committee meeting due in September when
further developments will be discussed and actioned, we will be sure
to keep you up to date with any further progress.
Once again, Thank you for registering and taking an interest in
Piobaireachd.co.uk

My best Regards to All,
John Dow
Webmaster

SFU Pipe Band

Greetings, a bit of a background note about the SFU Pipe Band. Regards, the other Ron

World Piping Champions for the Fifth Time

For the fifth time in 11 years the Simon Fraser Pipe Band has won the World's Piping Championship. On Saturday, August 16^th, 2008 the Band competed against the world's best Pipe Bands at Glasgow, Scotland, and came away the winner.

Pipe Major Terry Lee and his brother Pipe Sergeant Jack Lee  founded the Band with Simon Fraser University as their primary sponsor. They proudly wear the ancient Clan Fraser Tartan. Lead Drummer Reid Maxwell later joined the Band to provide top professional direction for the drum section. In 1982, the Band began to shine on the international stage when it won the North American Piping Championship. In 1995, the Band won its first World Piping Championship in Scotland. Competing and winning in Scotland against the world's best bands fired up the Lee brothers and the lads and lassies in the Band. They won again in 1996, 1999, 2001 and now in 2008. In the intervening years, the Band was always a formidable contender, for the most part earning 2^nd or 3^rd place rankings. The Band is probably better known in Scotland, the ancient home of Clan Fraser, than in Canada.

In 1998 the Band played in concert at Carnegie Hall, New York City, to a packed house.  They have played with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Ogden, Utah, and put on piping and drumming seminars at Brigham Young University. They have  thrilled audiences in concert at the Sydney Opera House, Australia. They have performed before enthusiastic audiences in Melbourne, Australia, and Christchurch, New Zealand. They have given recitals in 13 Canadian cities from Halifax to Victoria and in 17 American States. The Band has been one of Canada's top goodwill ambassadors over the past two decades.

The Simon Fraser Pipe Band is not just a single Band. A core of 30 pipers and drummers form the nucleus of the senior Band. In all, there are six levels of bands, ranging from raw beginners to the senior Band. The Band's pipers and drummers teach  150 or more children year in and year out. Their ethic is work, work, work, learn, learn, learn. Their purpose is to refine skills and to develop the discipline it takes to produce a harmonious band. One of the SFU Juvenile Pipe Bands, the Robert Malcolm, has won their division in Scotland four times. 

Every two years, the Band presents a Highland Arts Festival at Simon Fraser University. Instruction is given in piping drumming and Highland dancing. As part of the 1988 Festival the Band piped for the world's largest Scottish Country dance where 256  danced their way into the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 1999, Pipe Major Terry and brother Jack Lee were each awarded Canada's Meritorious Service Award. Jack Lee, one of the piping world's great soloists,  was further honoured in 2004 when he was among the first British Columbians to be presented with the B.C. Community Achievement Award by Premier Campbell. This award recognizes "those exceptional individuals whose personal contributions to the good of their communities has the effect of enriching all of us as citizens of this fortunate province".

The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band is more than just another band. It is both a community and an international role model.

The SFU Pipe Band's website is www.sfupipeband.com

An interesting video clip can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15NoXr0Q_D8

 

 

SFU Pipe Band

Greetings, an opportunity to hear the SFU Pipe Band before they leave for the World Championships in Scotland. Regards, the other Ron

What: Band Rehearsal

Where: SFU's Burnaby Campus in the centre grass section of the Academic Quadrangle below the Terry Fox statue.

When: Sunday, August 3, 2008

Time: 10:30 A.m. to 12:30 P.M.

Other: For details, go to the website  http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/media_releases/media_releases_archive/media_release07300801.html