British Columbia’s most historic annual piping, drumming and pipe band competition, the Annual Gathering, is now a qualifier for the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Assn. (RSPBA) World Solo Drumming Championship.

The RSPBA made the announcement Saturday at the World Drumming Championship in Scotland. The competitors in the Semi-Final in 2023 will be those who have pre-qualified by being placed at one of the RSPBA Adult Solo Drumming Championships.

In partnership with the RSPBA, the BCPA Annual Gathering, fondly known as “The Indoor”, will hold a Qualifier Event for the World Solo Drumming Championship during the weekend competition. The qualifier will be called the Pacific Solo Drumming Championship.

“We are very proud that the trophy for the winner will be named after J. Reid Maxwell, a six-time world drum corps champion,” says Graham Davidson, president of the BCPA. “Reid has also been a major figure in the teaching and adjudication of drumming in BC and elsewhere for many years.”

The BCPA Annual Gathering is scheduled for April 7-8, 2023.