Piobaireachd for amateur grades, with Jack Lee.

This will be geared to all amateur grade pipers.

For nearly forty years, Jack Lee of Simon University Pipe Band has been ranked among the world’s most accomplished pipers. He has won all the top solo prizes available: The Glenfiddich Championship, Gold Medals at both Oban and Inverness, the Clasp at Inverness (2), the Silver Star at Inverness (4), the Bratach Gorm at London (3) the Open Piobaireachd at Oban (2), the Silver Star at Oban and the Masters Invitational (2). Jack teaches many piping schools and workshops each year as well as numerous private students around the world via Skype.

Jack recently achieved a lifetime goal of recording the entire Piobaireachd Society Collection (Books 1-16).

How to set up your band on the day of a contest, with Richard Parkes, MBE.

This will be geared to all band grades 2-5.

Richard Parkes has been Pipe Major of 13 time World Champion Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band since 1981, making history by leading FMM to become the most successful pipe band ever to come from Northern Ireland. Richard was honored with an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen in 2004 for recognition of his services to pipe band music in Northern Ireland. In 2019 he was awarded honorary doctorates by Queens University and the University of Ulster in recognition of his contribution to pipe bands, both in Northern Ireland and worldwide.

Richard has always put the band first, but he also managed to win seven All Ireland Senior Solo Championships, eight Northern Ireland Piper of the Year titles, nine Ulster Senior Championships, as well as winning the Strachan in London, the Jig in Inverness and a number of other prizes at major solo competitions.

How to improve your drum corps, with J. Reid Maxwell.

This will be geared to all band grades 2-5.

J. Reid Maxwell is in his 30^th year leading the SFU Pipe Band drum corps. He is certainly one of today’s most decorated drummers, having captured nine World Pipe Band Championship titles and ten Drum Corps titles – most recently winning the Drum Corps title in 2022.

Prior to joining the SFU Pipe Band, Reid was Lead Drummer of the 78^th Fraser Highlanders and captured his third World Pipe Band title and first Sash in 1987. All this was preceded by two World Pipe Band Championships and four World Drum Corps Championships as a teenaged member of Scotland’s Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band.

2-Parted Strathspey & Reel playing at the Grade 4 Solo Level with Bob Worrall.

This will be geared to the recently introduced Strathspey & Reel event for Grade 4 solo pipers.  

Bob Worrall is one of North America’s leading teachers, adjudicators and performers. Bob is a respected composer, having published three successful collections of bagpipe music. He is featured on three solo piping recordings and was a member of the folk group “Scantily Plaid”.

After a piping career with a number of Ontario’s leading pipe bands, including the City of Toronto Pipe Band and the General Motors Pipe Band, Bob retired from competitive piping in 1983.  His solo accomplishments are extensive, both in North America and Scotland.  He won the North American Professional Championship an unprecedented 7  times and the Ontario Professional Championship Supreme title for 12 of his 13 years in the professional class.  He was also the 1977 winner of the March and Strathspey/Reel events in Inverness.

A member of North American and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s judging panels, Bob has been selected to judge the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow on fourteen occasions.  For the last twelve years he has been the colour commentator for the BBC’s broadcast of the World Pipe Band Championships.

Band Tenor Drumming and Solo Tenor Drumming, with Owen Russell.

Owen Russell plays with Grade 1 Simon Fraser University pipe band, and came to SFU from the City of Chicago Pipe Band in 2011. He travels from St. Paul, Minnesota to play with the band.

Owen began playing at age 7 under the instruction of Joe Hickey.His career highlights include winning the North American Pipe Band Championships in Maxville, Ontario and winning the Gold Medal Tenor event at Winter Storm in 2015.

Owen's previous Grade 1 bands include the Windsor Police Pipe Band and the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band.