FROM NZ TO GLA – THE WORLD PIPES UP FOR PIPING LIVE!
The world’s biggest piping festival will welcome visitors from 26 countries to the city from 10 – 16 August 2015.
Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival kicked off today with a special performance by the New Zealand Police Pipe Band, who have travelled more than any other band to take part in this year’s festival – globe-trotting a staggering11,000 miles.
Now in its 12th year, Piping Live! will bring 50,000 spectators from such countries as France, Spain, USA, Australia, and Malaysia to the city this week, with more than 200 events taking place across the city over the next 7 days. In 2014 it was found the festival is worth more than £2million to the Scottish economy.
Members of the New Zealand Police Pipe Band opened the festival with a spectacular performance and over the next four days they will perform at various points throughout the city, before competing in Grade 1 of the World Pipe Band Championships, which takes places in Glasgow Green from 14 – 15 August.
Pipe Major, Emmett Conway, said: “The long journey is more than worth it to play at Piping Live! – it’s the biggest and best festival of its kind in the world and Glasgow is such a warm and friendly city.”
Roddy MacLeod, Director of Piping Live!, said: “Pipers and musicians travel from across the world to take part in Piping Live! and we are thrilled to welcome the New Zealand Police Pipe Band from over 11,000 miles away. The pipes are perceived as distinctly Scottish, although piping and traditional music are popular in all corners of the globe. Many other countries have their own distinctive types of bagpipes used to perform traditional music for cultural events and visitors of the festival can enjoy this first hand. Come join in the fun – you’ll hear and enjoy something new.”
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Every year, thousands of people from across the UK and overseas are drawn to Glasgow in August as the city becomes the epicentre of world piping. Piping Live! offer visitors the opportunity to experience a truly spectacular week of superb traditional Scottish music and culture. Moreover, its continuing popularity reinforces Glasgow’s reputation for successfully hosting major international events.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Piping Live! is a terrific celebration of Scottish culture and heritage and demonstrates Scotland’s status as the perfect stage for events of international significance. With performers and spectators travelling to Glasgow from all over the world, it is set to be an outstanding event not to be missed.”
Piping Live! is famed for its diverse evening concerts across a range of city venues celebrating the diversity of the pipes. This year’s highlights include The Masters Solo Competition (Monday 10th, National Piping Centre), International Quartets Competition (Tuesday 11th, Royal Concert Hall) which sees seven top grade pipe bands from across the globe send 4 of their pipers to compete, Lowland and Border Pipers society showcase (Wednesday 12th National Piping Centre), International Piping Duets (Thursday 13th, Art school) featuring Bellón Maceiras Duo and Finlay MacDonald & Chris Stout,Friday night folk (Friday 14th, Art school) featuring some of the most exciting, modern collaborations on the folk/piping scene including the Scott Wood Band and Armagh Pipers Club, After World’s shindig (Saturday 15th, Art school) with Flook and Fred Morrison and the 40 years of piping from the Tannahill Weavers concert (Sunday 16th, National Piping Centre) will finish off the week in spectacular fashion.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.pipinglive.co.uk or call The National Piping Centre on 0141 353 0220
