NEW!
PIOBAIREACHD CLUB
A piobaireachd club was started in November, 2004, purely for the
enjoyment of the art. The plan is to hold club meetings on the second Friday of the month, following the the Victoria Pipers
Club meetings. Membership is only $5 and is open to all piobaireachd fans, players and listeners alike. If you are interested,
please contact Jim or Cecily at 250-743-1207 or ceolmor@shaw.ca.
Following
is a report on the first club meeting:
The Piobaireachd Club held its
first meeting at the home of Jim Barrie & Cecily Grant on November 13th, 2004. The
meeting was well attended and thirteen of us signed on for a life membership at a cost of $5.00 each. A great evening was enjoyed by all who attended.
Matt Turnbull, Seattle (ex-Detroit) was the feature player for the evening. Matt took lessons
from Willie Connell and spent 20+ years studying the Cameron style of piobaireachd
playing. He competes successfully in Scotland, U.S.A., Channel Islands & France. The evening commenced at 7pm with Matt playing Piobaireachd variations to warm up the pipe. He
then played “Donald of Laggan,” in the fine tradition of the Cameron style.
Dr.
Gordon Pollock, Pipe Major of the Cowichan Pipes and Drums was next with “Corrienessen’s Salute.”
After a short break, Emma Kirkwood
played the Urlar of the “Wee Spree.” Jim Barrie then gave us variations
from “MacGregor’s Gathering and finished with “The Lament for Mary MacLeod.”
Matt finished with one of his
own Piobaireachd composition, “A Man of the Wood.” This was written
for an old friend who had given Matt a set of pipes. This “Man of the Wood”
lived on three acres in the middle of a large city and his property was completely invisible from outside. A fine piece of music with a fitting title. The official part of the Piobaireachd Club ended at 10pm, after which a great deal of conversation took place. The evening generated a lot of interest in continuing with monthly meetings.
We agreed to have Piobaireachd
Club meetings on the Friday following the Victoria Pipers’ Club. Most times,
this will be the 2nd Friday of the month.
