Congratulations to all our BCPA member bands and individual members on another incredibly successful World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.
As I watched and listened to the bands this year, I was reminded just how significant the BCPA’s impact is on the international piping and drumming community. Everywhere you looked, BCPA members were playing, competing, teaching, adjudicating, supporting and contributing to bands from around the world. It was a wonderful reminder that while we may call British Columbia, Washington and Oregon home, our musical community truly knows no borders.
Seven World Titles for Simon Fraser University
A massive congratulations to Simon Fraser University Pipe Band on capturing it’s seventh Grade 1 World Championship.
This was an especially significant victory: Pipe Major Alan Bevan’s first World Championship as Pipe Major, alongside Pipe Sergeant Craig Sutherland and Lead Drummer J. Reid Maxwell.
The band is an impressive combination of tremendously talented young players and seasoned veterans — including a few members who have now joined the remarkable “Seven Club,” having been there for every SFU World Championship victory dating back to the first in 1995.
It was a personal honour for me to adjudicate the Grade 1 Medley this year and hear this extraordinary contest up close. What an incredible field of bands and musicians. The standard of playing was simply outstanding.
A very special acknowledgement must also go to Lead Drummer J. Reid Maxwell, who marked his 100th circle at the World Pipe Band Championships — an extraordinary milestone in an extraordinary career.
SFU also continues to demonstrate that excellence and opportunity belong together. More than a third of the band’s members are women, continuing the philosophy and legacy established by Pipe Major Terry Lee: those who have the talent to play, do.
Congratulations to everyone in the SFU organization. What an achievement.
Greighlan Crossing — A Remarkable Scottish Campaign
Another tremendous BCPA success came from Greighlan Crossing Pipe Band, with an outstanding 6th-place finish in Grade 3A at the World Championships.
That achievement came as part of an exceptional Scottish campaign that also saw Greighlan Crossing win the Perth Highland Games — a tremendous accomplishment in its own right.
These results represent another significant milestone for this successful organization under the leadership of Pipe Major Jeff Rowell, Pipe Sergeant Marcus Range and Leading Drummer Curt Watts.
To travel to Scotland, win at Perth and then finish among the top six in the world is something of which the entire BCPA community can be incredibly proud. Congratulations, Greighlan Crossing!
Cascadia Makes the Grade 2 Final
Cascadia Pipe Band provided yet another BCPA success story in Glasgow.
Making the Grade 2 World Championship Final is no small feat, and Cascadia did it with conviction.
Under the direction of Pipe Major Patrick Downing, Pipe Sergeant Alison Dunsire and Leading Drummer Steven Wheeler, this band continues to improve, challenge itself and push musical boundaries. Their progress and success on the world stage are exciting to watch.
Congratulations to the entire Cascadia organization.
BCPA Representation Around the Adjudication Tables
Our contribution to the Worlds extended well beyond the competition circles.
The BCPA was also exceptionally well represented within the RSPBA adjudication panels, with four BCPA RSPBA adjudicators working throughout the World Championships: Terry Lee, Duncan Millar, Shaunna Hilder and David Hilder.
Having four adjudicators from our Association contributing at the highest level of international pipe band competition is something of which the BCPA can be extremely proud. It speaks not only to the depth of playing talent within our region, but also to the experience, knowledge and musical leadership our members continue to contribute to the wider piping and drumming world.
One Community — No Borders
And there were many, many more.
BCPA members could be found throughout Glasgow and across the Worlds — playing, competing, entertaining, adjudicating, teaching, volunteering and supporting one another.
Whether you came home with a World Championship, a top-six placing, a spot in a final, a Highland Games victory, the experience of competing on the biggest stage in our music, or simply the satisfaction of helping another musician or band succeed, we could not be more proud of you.
What a season. What a Worlds.
This truly is the international language of music — a language that knows no borders.
Congratulations to all.
Cannae wait for 2027!
David Hilder
President
BC Pipers’ Association
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