Roddy MacLeod MBE
Roddy is the principal of The National Piping Centre, a position he has held since the centre opened in 1996.
During this time the centre has grown to become a World Centre of excellence for teaching of the Highland Bagpipe through developing and implementing a number of initiatives such as the BA (Scottish Music - Piping), the National Schools Piping Project, the Highland Bagpipe Tutor Book and more recently the establishment of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland.
Roddy has won all the major solo piping events, many several times over including the Glenfiddich Piping Championship on 3 occasions and remains active as a competing piper. He was Pipe Major of the Scottish power Pipe Band from 1995 until 2005- one of the worlds leading Grade 1 Pipe Bands. Roddy was awarded an MBE for services to piping in 2003 and the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for music in 2004.
Major Gavin Stoddart MBE BEM
Gavin was born in Hamburg, Germany where his father was serving with the Scottish Airborne Regiment. He received initial instruction from his father before going to Captain John A. MacLennan at Edinburgh Castle. In 1964 he became a guest piper with the Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band before enlisting as a piper in the Scots Guards in 1966 under Pipe Major Angus MacDonald. Gavin became Pipe Sergeant of the 1st Battalion and remained with the Scots Guards until May 1979 when he was approached to transfer to The Royal Highland Fusiliers as Pipe Major.
Gavin didn’t start professional competing until 1980 and had a short but very successful competing career winning the following major events:
- March, Strathspey and Reel competition at the Glenfiddich Championship (3 times)
- Piobaireachd competition at the Glenfiddich Championship (2 times)
- Glenfiddich Piping Championship, overall winner (2 times)
- Glenfiddich Piping Championship, runner-up overall winner (3 times)
- Highland Society of London Gold Medal for Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering at his first attempt
- Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at the Argyllshire Gathering at his first attempt
- Gold Medal for Piobaireachd at the Braemar Highland Gathering
- Highland Society of London Gold Medal for Piobaireachd at the Northern Meetings
- Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at the Argyllshire Gathering (2 times)
- Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at the Northern Meetings
Jack Lee
For 30 years, Jack Lee has been regarded as one of the world’s leading pipers. His accomplishments as a Solo Piper, Pipe Band leader and Teacher cause him to be much sought after as a performer, lecturer and teacher throughout the world. He has won many prestigious honors during his piping career, including: Northern Meeting Gold Medal in 1981; Gold and Senior Piobaireachd at Oban in 2001; the Clasp, Gold Medal, Silver Star (Three times) at Inverness; Senior Piobaireachd, and Gold Medal at Oban, the MacCrimmon Memorial Cairn for Piobaireachd at the BC Pipers Annual Gathering (11 times) and numerous other awards. In 2003, he became the first North American piper to win the Glenfiddich.
Jack is the Pipe Sergeant and co-founder of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. In 2001, the band won its 4th World Championship. The band has been an extremely consistent prizewinner at the World Championships during the past 20 years, having won either 1st or 2nd on eleven occasions. The band has recorded 10 CDs and 2 Videos, including CDs at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the magnificent Sydney Opera House. Their youth band (Robert Malcolm Memorial) has won the World Juvenile Championships on four occasions.
Alastair Dunn
Alastair started piping at 8 years old, initially taught by Freddie Russell, he now receives tuition from Roddy Macleod MBE. He is a frequent prize winner on the Professional solo circuit with his main successes including the Gold and Silver Medals, Northern Meeting; Metro Cup Piobaireachd, New York and the A Grade Piobaireachd, London.
Alastair is the Pipe-Sergeant of five-times World Champions Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band. Since joining the band in 1997 he has won every major pipe band competition including the World Championships in 2002, 2004 and 2006, under the direction of P/M Richard Parkes. Alastair was acting Pipe Major of the Band from April to July in 2004 winning the Scottish and All Ireland Championships.
He is the General Manager at RG Hardie & Co. who provide Bagpipes, including Peter Henderson Bagpipes, together with Pipe Band Uniforms for Civilian and Service bands.
Margaret Dunn
Margaret began piping at the age of 8 and was initially taught by her father Con Houlihan and when she was 10 she began taking lessons from Stephen Power (ex Scots Guards). Margaret moved to Scotland when she was 17. In 1998 she was accepted into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama where she studied for 4 years and graduated with an Honours Degree in Scottish Traditional Music. While Margaret was at the Academy she also joined the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band and, with them, won the World Pipe Band Championships in Grade 1 in 2000. She is now Pipe Major of Cullen Pipe Band, who won the World Pipe Band Championships in grade 3B this year.
In 2004, Margaret passed her Institute of Piping Graduate Certificate with distinction.
Some prizes won to date include:-1st MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd (22 and under) Argyleshire Gathering 1999, 1st B Grade March, Argyleshire Gathering 1999,1st Duncan Johnstone Memorial Piobaireachd 2001, 1st Strachan Memorial March Strathspey & Reel, London 2000, 1st A Grade Strathspey and Reel, Argyleshire Gathering 2003, Runner up in Silver Medal, Argyleshire Gathering 2003. Overall winner at Blair Atholl Highland Games & Crieff Highland Games 2005. Winner of this years Silver Medal at the Nothern Meetings and A grade march at the Argyleshire Gathering.
Bruce Gandy
Senior instructor for the Halifax Citadel Regimental Association’s School of Piping and Drumming and a piper with the grade 1 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipe Band in Nova Scotia, is a top ranking international solo piper.
A double gold medallist, and four times winner of New York’s Metro Cup competition, Bruce Gandy began his piping career as a boy in Victoria, on Canada’s west coast, and went on to spend 15 years with the grade 1 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band in Ontario, in central Canada, before moving further east to instruct at the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts in Prince Edward Island, and then to his present position in Halifax….
