Manchester Recital By McCallum Pipers

Red Hot Pipes For Chilli Pipers

World famous piping group The Red Hot Chilli Pipers have been presented with scorching new custom pipes by McCallum Bagpipes as a reward for their success.

In the last year, the group has performed in more than 150 shows all over the world, won BBC's When Will I Be Famous? competition and brought out a platinum selling CD 'Bagrock for the Masses'.

The unique McCallum Bagpipes pipes have a strong red theme, with red mounts and red trim. as well as every set being personally engraved.

Stuart McCallum said "We asked the guys if they would like their own unique pipes as a special reward from us for their services to piping and to celebrate their platinum disc sales. The group is definitely playing a big part in the recent bagpipes uprising across the world. The finished product is a very unusual set of pipes and while traditional pipers may not like them because they look quite bling, it's what the band were looking for".

The band have another busy year ahead of them and will debut their new pipes at Ewan McGregor's star-studded Burns Supper in London.

StrathPol Solos Proves A Hit With Junior Pipers

McCallum Bagpipes was once again pleased to support the second annual Strathclyde Police Pipe Band Junior Solo Piping Competition, which was held in Smithycroft School, Glasgow on 23 February, 2008.

Almost 150 pipers competed in the competitions, which were adjudicated by band members past and present.

Pictured above is the Under 15 overall winner Bradley Parker with Allan Hamilton. Bradley travelled from Northern Ireland to participate and his trip was proved worthwhile with his first place. The full results can be found by clicking here.

McCallum Bagpipes would like to congratulate Strathclyde Police Pipe Band on running another excellent event.

McCallum Double At The Metro Cup

The Metro Cup competition which is held annually in Newark, New Jersey was won by Willie McCallum on 16 February, 2008 playing the new McCallum Solo Chanter.

Willie took first place with the best aggregate place, coming second in the Piobaireachd and first in the Medley.

Congratulations Willie from everyone at the McCallum Bagpipes factory.

Carlisle Wins Second Gordon Duncan Memorial

The second annual Gordon Duncan Memorial Solo Piping Competition sponsored by McCallum Bagpipes took place in Glasgow's Central Hotel on Saturday 26 January, 2008.

A large attendance saw Andrew Carlisle from Ulster take the overall winner prize in one of the most challenging events of its kind. Players have to perform a set in Scottish, Breton and Irish formats, the overall winner being decided from the best aggregate result.

Willie McCallum won the Scottish leg of the competition playing the McCallum Solo Chanter which continues to impress on the solo stage.

McCallum Bagpipes congratulates all of the participants on making the competition a great success.

MC² Solo Chanter Voted Product Of The Year

The popular piping Web site pipes|drums has voted the new McCallum Solo Chanter as 'New Product of the Year' in its New Year honours. Here's what they had to say:

"The debut in August of the new Willie McCallum-designed pipe chanter was met with excitement, especially after it was revealed that McCallum had already been playing and winning with the new product around the Scottish games, which he of course won handily. Modern techniques and technology have quickly expanded the two-product solo chanter market to at least a half-dozen realistic options for top pipers."

Click here to view the article in full.

MC² Takes Prizes AT SPA Solos

The new McCallum MC² Solo Chanter featured strongly amongst the prizes at the Scottish Pipers Association solo piping competition on Saturday 15 December, 2007.

Sylvain Hamon (pictured above) won the March, 2nd in the Strathspey & Reel, also 2nd in the former winners March, Strathspey & Reel and won the overall best piper of the day.

Kevin McNulty won 2nd prize in the March and first in the Strathspey & Reel, while James MacPhee won 3rd prize in the former winners March, Strathspey & Reel.

Sylvain, Kevin and James all played the new McCallum MC² Solo Chanter.

McCallum Bagpipes Unveils New Web Site

At McCallum Bagpipes, we always welcome customer interaction as part of our goal to deliver the highest quality products and services. We have been listening to your feedback about our Web site and have launched a new version that is more interactive than ever.

You've been asking for easier navigation and more close-up detail of our products. So we've teamed up with our Web and print designers Hot Stuff Web Design and DesignFolk to deliver our high quality brochures online in PDF format, which allow you to have full control over the amount of detail you wish to see.

We have also brought things right up-to-date with the introduction of an RSS feed. Now you will be able to receive news from McCallum Bagpipes straight to your RSS browser.

Windows Media Players embedded around the site allow you to see and hear our world class instruments.

Other new additions to the McCallum Bagpipes Web site include our drum supplies and highland dress services.

We hope you enjoy the new site.
 

Glenfiddich Round Up

Gordon Walker of Cumnock, Ayrshire won his first Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship at Blair Castle on Saturday 28 October, 2007. Gordon won the event with the highest aggregate result to win one of piping's highest accolades. Gordon plays the McCallum chanter and MG Reeds drone reeds.

Eight times Glenfiddich winner Willie McCallum won first place in the March, Strathspey & Reel event, playing the new McCallum Solo Chanter.

McCallum Bagpipes would like to congratulate both Gordon and Willie on their achievements at the Glenfiddich.
 

Piping Live! Quartets Won By St. Laurence O'Toole

A quartet of pipers from St Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band of Dublin won the Piping Live! International Quartet Challenge held in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 7 August, 2007. The group led by Alen Tully beat off stiff competition from 5 other invited bands from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the USA.

Prizes for the competition were donated by McCallum Bagpipes and presented by McCallum Bagpipes director Kenny MacLeod.
 

McCallum Bagpipes Prize For Arizona Piper

Top soloist Robert Watt had the pleasure of presenting a full set of McCallum Bagpipes to a lucky winner at Flagstaff Arizona Highland Celtic Festival, which took place on the weekend of 21 & 22 July, 2007.

The event which was sponsored by McCallum Bagpipes, involved instruction and performances from Robert himself and Captain Bruce Hitchings before a full set of bagpipes was raffled as a star prize.

Before the winner was revealed, the pipes were played by Robert. Click here to view his performance of 'The Mason's Apron'.

The lucky recipient of the bagpipes was Keith Williams, a piper of only 2 years who was coincidentally about to purchase the very same set. Keith had this to say about his new instrument:

"I want to extend all the people at McCallum a very special thank you for producing such a beautiful instrument and donating it to the event. I will do my best to make it sound as good as it looks."

Congratulations on receiving your pipes, Keith. Everyone at McCallum Bagpipes wish you many years of enjoyment and success with your new instrument.
 

Francois Kervadec Wins McCallum Bagpipes

McCallum Bagpipes director Kenny MacLeod was in Quimper, Brittany in July to represent the company at the annual music festival held in the town.

As part of the line-up of events, a solo piping competition was held, which McCallum Bagpipes was pleased to sponsor. The solo piping competition was won by a young French piper, Francois Kervadec.

Francois won a set of McCallum Bagpipes as his first prize, which was presented to him by Kenny MacLeod. Francois was delighted with the award and played them straight away. Well done Francois.
 

Strathclyde Police Wins With McCallum

The first major pipe band championship of the 2007 competition season took place in Dumbarton on Saturday 19 May, 2007 and was won by Strathclyde Police Pipe Band under the leadership of Pipe Major Donald Mackay playing McCallum Bagpipes pipe chanters.

This is the band's fourth championship win since 2003 playing McCallum Bagpipes chanters.

Making it a double for McCallum's, Johnstone Pipe Band won the Grade 3 championship.

Many congratulations go to both bands on their respective successes from their friends at McCallum Bagpipes.
 

Police Contestant Nabs A Set Of McCallum Bagpipes

Strathclyde Police Pipe Band held their inaugural Junior Solo Piping Competition in Glasgow on Saturday 24 February, 2007. McCallum Bagpipes director Stuart McCallum who is a member of the band, was delighted to donate the star prize - a full set of McCallum Bagpipes.

The overall winner of the competition was Keith Bowes Jnr of Inchinnan. Keith is pictured above receiving his new bagpipe from Pipe Major Donald Mackay and McCallum Bagpipes representative Allan Hamilton.
 

Surprise For Wounded Canadian War Veteran

Canadian soldier Corporal Ryan Pagnacco, was seriously injured in a US 'friendly fire' incident in Panjwaii, Afghanistan in September, 2006. He received shrapnel wounds to both legs, right arm, right hand and lower back.

Ryan is a keen piper and plays a set of pipes on loan to him from from the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada reserve band.

When McCallum Bagpipes heard that family and friends were fundraising for a new set of bagpipes for him, the company offered to donate a full set of McCallum Bagpipes and accessories which was gratefully accepted.

Ryan was presented with his new personally engraved bagpipes by family and friends as a surprise on Tuesday 30 January, 2007. Click here to see Ryan receiving and test driving his new instrument.
 

McCallum Supports Gordon Duncan Memorial Event

The inaugural Gordon Duncan Memorial Solo Piping Competition was held in Glasgow on Saturday 28 January, 2007. The event was devised in commemoration of the much loved and missed piper Gordon Duncan. Gordon himself played and endorsed McCallum Bagpipes, so the company was proud to lend its support to the event.

A unique feature of the competition was that every piper performed sets in Breton, Irish and Scottish sections.

The overall winner was Sylvain Hamon of Brittany.

©McCallum Bagpipes Ltd, Scotland