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Willie McCallum
He was born in Campbeltown, Kintyre. He was mainly taught by his uncles Ronald and Hugh A. McCallum, but also by Ronald McCallum, MBE, Piper to The Duke of Argyll. As a youngster he heard top solo pipers through the Kintyre Piping Society, which was set up by his father.
Prior to 2010, he worked as an accountant at the University of Strathclyde. He now has his own business and acts as a consultant for McCallum Bagpipes, as well as teaching and adjudicating. He lives in Bearsden with his wife Christine, with whom he has a son and a daughter. McCallum has won many top solo piping prizes several times and has notably been invited to the Glenfiddich Championships 29 consecutive times as of 2016. With the Scottish Power Pipe Band he has been runner-up at the World Pipe Band Championships twice, and in 2008 and 2016 he played with the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band. |
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Jack Lee
Jack is a Canadian bagpiper and has been the Pipe Sergeant of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band since its inception in 1981. The band has won the World Pipe Band Championships six times. Lee is also a successful solo competitor, having won a significant number of major prizes, including both Highland Society of London Gold Medals, the former winner's Clasp at the Northern Meeting, the Canadian Gold Medal, and was the first North American piper to win the Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship. He was born on December 6, 1957 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and moved to British Columbia at the age of 2. Lee holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting ;from the University of British Columbia.
He and his brother Terry, the former pipe major of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, received the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada in 1999 at a ceremony in Quebec City, Quebec. They were awarded honorary doctorates by Simon Fraser University in 2013.
Jack and his wife Christine have three sons, Andrew, Colin, and John, who also play with Simon Fraser University.
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Jimmy Bell
Jimmy is one of the most accomplished North American Highland pipers of the last century. As Pipe Major of the Parlin and District Pipe Band in New Jersey, he directed the band to a North American championship in addition to multiple overall championships in their home association, The Eastern United States Pipe Band Association (EUSPBA). As a past president of that association, he helped steer it to become the largest such association in the world, encompassing Texas to Maine and Florida to Michigan.
As a solo piper Jimmy has been a previous winner of the Metro Cup, United States Piping Foundation (USPF), Midwest Highland Arts Fund Gold Medal (MHAF), Canadian Gold Medal, and EUSPBA Overall Professional Champion among many, many other prizes. He teaches and adjudicates throughout North America, Canada, and Scotland. |
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Kenton Adler
Kenton Adler is currently a piper with the Lyon College Pipe Band in Batesville Arkansas. He was formerly the Playing Instructor for Oklahoma Scottish Pipes and Drums of Oklahoma City, OK, and prior to that was Pipe Major of the Ozark Highlanders of Fayetteville, AR.
Kenton has competed successfully all over the United States in Grade 2 solos, and at various levels of band competition. He has been a regular instructor at the Lyon College Piping Summer School for the last ten years, and specializes in working with beginning pipers, novice pipers making the transition from practice chanter to pipes, and with pipers just preparing to enter competition. He has also led numerous workshops with bands, helping them to prepare for competition, and to improve their performance in front of judges. Kenton also served for six years on the Executive Committee of the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association.
He is married to Nancy Love, and they live just outside the Lyon College campus with their two dogs, Pippin, and Juniper.
Ed Best
Ed Best is a professional educator with over 40 years of successful pipe band experience and has a bachelor’s degree in music education. He has held many band and solo titles in all grades including North American Champion, East Coast Champion Supreme, Ontario Champion Supreme, West Coast Champion of Champions, and Canadian Champion. Ed also spent 10 years as a School Music Teacher in all grades from Elementary through the University level.
Ed has competed in, and placed at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in many grades up to and including Grade I. Ed is active as an adjudicator at Highland Games throughout the United States. He is an “A” panel drumming and ensemble judge in the WUSPBA and a drumming judge in the EUSPBA. He has served on both the Music Board and Executive committees of WUSPBA. Ed is a regular instructor for individuals, bands and schools across the country. He provides instruction in person or via Zoom and also helps with music composition, arranging, and band ensemble. His individual students and bands regularly appear in the prize lists at highland games across the country. Ed is also the head drum instructor for the drumming program at the renowned Piper’s Dojo online school. https://pipersdojo.com/snare-drumming-membership/
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