Piping Director makes mark on world stage

Matt MacIsaac, Director of Piping & Drumming, won the Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge in front of a packed house of 400 people in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s Strathclyde Suite.
The event occurred on Aug. 11, during Glasgow’s sprawling Piping Live! This week-long festival pits six of the world’s best players against each other in a recital format. 

Matt’s invitation was unusual: his many years of work in the folk scene rather than on the competitive boards left him with a limited international competitive record compared to the rest of the field. However, his competitive record in Ontario in recent years is exceptional. Those who have heard him play view him as an ideal competitor in this event, which depends on creativity, musicality, and technical acumen.

The event stipulates that each competitor play 30 minutes of material of their own choosing, except for a couple of test pieces that must be included in the recital. Matt’s stiffest competition was Callum Beaumont, arguably the leading competitive piper in the world today, and Finlay Johnston, who isn’t far behind.

The win is more evidence of Matt’s place in the top rank of the world’s pipers. He is in frequent demand for workshops on both sides of the ocean, and his Cape Breton folk band, Beòlach, was nominated for a Canadian Juno Award in 2020. He is also the pipe major of the St. Andrew’s College Association Pipe Band, which began its first year of competition this summer.

Story by Jim McGillivray
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