Simon McKerrell plays the Highland, Uilleann and Border bagpipes and is in regular demand as a session musician and recitalist. He is proud to be appointed as ‘Head of Piping Studies for the BA(Scottish Music - Piping) degree at the National Piping Centre and continues to develop his playing career. Simon’s first musical passion is bagpipe music, and is a major prize-winner/performer within this field as well as the current President of the Competing Pipers Association (CPA). Notable wins include the Dunvegan Medal (2004), Skye Clasp (2005, 2006), 2nd Gold medal Oban (2005), 1st A-grade March, Strathspey and Reel at Inverness (2006). He is a former member of ‘The Back of the Moon’ traditional music group and has played on numerous commercially available albums. Simon is taught by Murray Henderson.
Simon was awarded the PhD (Ethnomusicology) in 2005 for a thesis entitled: ‘Scottish competition bagpipe music: sound, mode and aesthetics’. He continues his research and is particularly interested in the relationship between motivic analysis (mode) and the aesthetics of traditional musics. In addition to this he is currently engaged in research into the economic realities of traditional Scottish music in the post-revival period and how this has effected music within the context of globalisation.
Simon regularly plays Uilleann and Border pipes in the groups Rough Tides and Ceól Taal. These involve the wonderful musicians: Tom Richardson, Vijay Kangutkar, Padraig O’Neill and Julia Reid.
A selection of the albums Simon has appeared on:
With Gillian Frame and Back of the Moon
2001 Gillian Frame and Back of the Moon CDFSR1710 Footstompin Records
2003 Fortune’s Road CDFSR1720 Footstompin Records
With Jim Malcolm
2002 Home BELCD102 Beltane Records
2005 Tam O Shanter Beltane Records
With Blair Douglas
2003 Angels from the Ashes Macmeanma records
McKerrell, MacDonald & Gibb
2004 Highland Games Macmeanma records
The RSAMD Chamber Choir and Players
2004 Les Douze Noëls (Louis-Claude Daquin) Linn Records CKD 254
