Workshop Instructors

Richard Parkes MBE, MSc. PM – Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland - Volunteer

John CairnsPipe Major Richard Parkes MBE, MSc, is the Pipe Major of the ten time and current World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band.
One of the most gifted pipe majors ever to grace the pipe band arena, Richard has brought Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band to the very top of Grade I, constantly re-shaping its future through hard work, dedication, and determined vision, for a period of more than three decades. Richard’s success as a pipe major has become a part of piping history, but he is also one of Ireland’s most successful solo players, having participated in solo competitions over many years when his pipe band commitments allowed. Richard has consistently won all the major solo competitions in Ireland, including seven All Ireland Championships, nine Ulster Championships, and eight Northern Ireland Piper of the Year titles. He also placed regularly at many of the major solo events on the mainland, including winning the jigs at the Northern Meeting and the London competitions in 1989.

When the band reached the very top level in the early `90`s, Richard’s solo career had
to take a back seat to his role as pipe major, but his success at the helm of Field
Marshal Montgomery has been remarkable. As a pipe major, he has led the band to
an outstanding 60 Major Championship wins. Richard’s achievements have made him
not only the most prominent pipe major ever, from Northern Ireland, but also one of
the most successful in the world today. In 2011 the band made history by becoming
the first band ever to complete the Grand Slam of RSPBA Major titles on two
occasions, 1993 and 2011 and they have since won the Grand Slam for a third time in
2013.

Outside of his band commitments, Richard was involved in the Northern Ireland
Piping and Drumming School for 21 years, becoming assistant director in the late
80’s. He holds the RSPBA Advanced and Instructors’ Certificates and is a member of
the Adjudicators’ panel. In 2004, he received the MBE from the Queen for services to
pipe bands in Northern Ireland, recognising not only his success, but also how
important his influence has been on the art of piping. As such an important figure to
pipers, pipe majors, and bands alike, Richard has travelled the world extensively
judging, playing and teaching, in addition to leading the Field Marshal Montgomery
at home.

Away from piping, Richard works in Bombardier Aerospace (Shorts),
Belfast, as a Senior Project Engineer in the Materials and Processes Engineering
Department, and holds a Masters Degree in Polymer Engineering. He has been
married to Ruth for 15 years who, he says, is very patient, supportive and
understanding of all the demands of his piping activities.

Ken Eller – Fonthill, Ontario - Volunteer

Ken EllerKen Eller, also known as "The Captain", has had a 55 year piping career … 15
times a winner of the North American Pipe Band Championships with two bands:
the 78th Fraser Highlanders (1992-2002) and as Pipe Major of the Clan MacFarlane
Pipe Band (1971 – 1987).

He is now retired from active competition and has expanded his teaching career with on line lessons at www.thecaptainscorner.com. He has been a member of the Piper's and Pipe Band Society of Ontario (PPBSO) since 1962 and is also a member of EUSPBA, the Eastern US Pipe Band Association. In 1984/85 he was admitted to the panel of Adjudicators for both of these
organizations. Since 2005, he has been on the panel of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band
Association (RSPBA) as an international piping adjudicator.

Originally taught by Richard MacPherson, brother of Hugh MacPherson, the
Edinburgh Highland Outfitter, he continued his studies under double Gold Medalist
Pipe Major John Wilson, of Edinburgh and Toronto, through the 1960’s. During the
1980’s and early 1990’s he was a managing partner in the bagpipe-making firm of
Dunbar-Eller, Ltd, presently Dunbar Bagpipes.

Ken teaches piping full time since retiring from a 32-year career as a mathematics
professor at Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology. During the summer
months, he teaches at various piping schools and judges at highland games both in
North America and Scotland.

Recently he judged the Australian, European and World Championships (2012); the
New Zealand, North American and World Championships in 2013 and was on the
panel for both the Scottish and World Championships in 2014.
He resides in Fonthill, Ontario with his wife Diane, an internationally recognized
triathlete. They have two children, Lindsay and Cameron.

ANDREW CARLISLE – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Andrew CrlisleAndrew Carlisle is originally from Ballygowan, County Down, Northern Ireland. He is one of the world’s leading soloists and has won numerous prizes including, the Gillies Cup for Piobaireachd at London, the A Grade Strathspey and Reel at Oban, the Senior Piobaireachd and overall at Cowal, the US Gold Medal for Piobaireachd and Light Music at Winter Storm, the MacCrimmon Trophie at Lorient, the Gordon Duncan Memorial at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, and three Senior All-Ireland titles.

Andrew has been an active member of current grade one World Pipe Band Champions Field Marshal Montgomery for 11 years, sharing in the success of over 30 major championship wins, including 5 world titles.

In 2010, Andrew was appointed Professor of Music and Director of Piping at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA. In just under three years, he has transformed the Carnegie Mellon University Pipes and Drums into a successful Grade 3 band.

 

JIMMY McINTOSH, MBE – South Carolina   

Jimmy McIntosh MBE

Jimmy McIntosh was born in Dundee, Scotland and now resides in South Carolina. As a piper, he was instructed by PM Willie Ross and Donald MacLeod and later R.U. Brown and R.B. Nicol. He has won first prizes at Inverness, Oban, Braemar, Skye and the first Glenfiddich Championship (Grant's Invitational).

Jimmy was a piper with the Cameron Highlanders from 1939-49. He co-founded the Balmoral summer schools with George Balderose in 1978, and served as President of EUSPBA from 1991-1994.

Jimmy was awarded the MBE for services to piping, in 1994.  He created the world's first B.A. degree program in bagpipe music at Carnegie-Mellon University while an instructor there.  His students include Mike Cusack and Mike Rogers who have won major piping competitions in Scotland. In 2002, he was awarded the Balvenie Medal for services to piping. He is married to piper Joyce McIntosh.  (Biographical information from BagpipeJourney.com, used with permission.)

ROY JACK BARBEE - Atlanta, Georgia

Roy Barbbe and Donna SammanderRoy Barbee has been drumming most of his life. Roy has played in symphony orchestras, marching bands, symphonic bands, U. S. Army bands, combos, pit orchestras (and sometimes the “pits”) , country music shows and Scottish bagpipe bands.  He toured with Sonny James from 1977 to 1984 as one of the Southern Gentleman.  In 1990, Roy was the ranked first among grade one snare drum soloists in the Eastern United States Bagpipe Association (EUSPBA).

Roy graduated from Odessa High School, The Naval School of Music and Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Music Degree.  Roy has taught band and orchestra in public and private schools as well as private lessons for students from ages five to 75. He has also organized and taught in summer band camps and has held workshops for music educators and students, including an introduction to Scottish side drumming for the EUSPBA Southern Branch workshop.  He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia where he plays with the John Mohr MacKintosh Pipes and Drums and the Atlanta Wind Symphony.  Roy’s interest is teaching rhythm and introducing drummers to the Scottish idiom.

JON QUIGG- Baltimore, Maryland

Jon QuinnIn 1973 at the age of 13, Jon Quigg began his drumming career in the Annapolis Juvenile Pipe Band. While his influences are many, he counts as his primary influences the likes of John Bosworth, and Alex Duthart. In 1976, he moved into the professional solo competitor ranks and into the Grade 2 Denny and Dunipace Pipe Band of Washington, DC, now known as the City of Washington Pipe Band. This organization was actually established by members of the US Air Force Pipe Band in 1961, itself an extension of that branch’s Drum & Bugle Corps. While “the Denny band” has always been home, over the years he has guested with a number of groups around the world, including bands in Monterey, San Francisco, Honolulu, Tokyo and Vancouver.

In 1989, he assumed the Drum Sergeant position and helped them garner numerous North American contest wins, culminating in their winning performance at the 1999 World Pipe Band Championships. That year, he led the corps to winning the Grade 2 drum corps prize while the band also won the overall band title.

In addition to his competition career – which includes numerous solo contest wins around the country - he has recorded for Row-Loff Productions (“Lancer”) and performed with the American Originals Fife and Drum Corps, as well as giving clinics around the globe. In 2009 and 2010, he oversaw the City of Washington drum corps’ winning performances in the Kansas City Winter Storm drum salute contests. Most recently he was fortunate to present masters classes on pipe band drumming at Old Dominion University and at the 2012 US Association of Rudimental Drummers conference. Currently he is taking some time off from competitive drumming to work on a book that will present Scottish drumming to a wider audience. He lives near Baltimore with his wife, Beth, and MacDhu, the wonder mutt.

 

 

Jamie Stewart-

Jamie StewartJamie Stewart grew up around pipe bands. Having two older siblings who are pipers, he began his drumming at age ten in the Midlothian Jr. Pipe Band learning under Jim Sim Sr. & Jim Sim Jr. In 2004 he started making his own bass and tenor mallets, and ten years later the Mayor brand has contributed to multiple World Championships and are played around the world.

During his playing career he has placed second at the World Pipe Band Championships (tying for first), and has won numerous United States Championships as well as U.S. and North American Best Bass Section awards as a member of the Midlothian Pipe Band.

His passion for playing is matched only by his passion for classic motorcycles. These days Jamie runs Mayor Drum Supply in his spare time as well as partnering to produce the Hosbilt drum line with Craig "Hoss" Colquhoun.

He is an avid supporter of young players through sponsorship, instruction and organizing the Oktenorfest drumming workshop. Jamie is also very proud to support bass sections across North America by sponsoring the Mayor's Cup BBS trophy at his home town games, U.S. Championship BBS trophies, as well as The Mayor's Kincardine Cup for best bass section in Ontario, Canada.

Michael O'Neil - Carmel, California

Michael O'NeilMike travels from Carmel, California to play with the band. He won the Worlds in grade 2 in 2006 with RMM and in 2000 with the Prince Charles Pipe Band as well as obtaining the best bass section prize that year. He has won the Gold Medal Tenor event at Winter Storm in Kansas City twice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric McNeil

Eric MacNeil Eric's interest in pipe bands began as a Drum Major in the summer of 1989. He went on to win the Amateur Drum Major North American Championship in 1996 and 1997, followed by 4 times Professional North American Drum Major Champion and Eastern United States Professional Drum Major Champion on several occasions. In 1996, Eric began to study tenor drumming and competed with the Oran Mor Pipe Band as a tenor drummer in 1996 through 1998, when he joined the grade 2 snare line. In 2000, at the age of 16, Eric was appointed to Leading Drummer for the grade 2 Oran Mor Pipe Band, making him one of the youngest leading drummers at that level.

Eric has worked to consistently improve the Oran Mor drum corps and band, helping earn the band the title of EUSPBA Season Champions each year since taking over the corps. Oran Mor competes each year at the World Pipe Band Championships, held in Glasgow, Scotland, since 2004. In 2009 the band competed at the Worlds for the first time in grade 1: the highest competitive level in pipe bands.

CHRIS APPS - Baltimore, Maryland

Mike ColeChris has been playing pipes since the age of ten and was originally taught by James Archibald Templeton from Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire. Archie taught many young players over the years and had the Juvenile Champion of Champions band back in 1953.

Chris took further piobaireachd tutelage from Pipe Major Evan MacRae but mostly from Bob Brown Jr. the son of Bob Brown of Balmoral. Chris went on to great success in professional competitions throughout the UK and whilst competing around the games was asked to come over to the States in 1986 to join the then grade one Kansas City St Andrews Pipe Band.

After a number of happy years in America Chris returned to the UK and started his reed making business which has grown from strength to strength and become internationally renowned over the last 22 years. During the 1990s Chris joined the grade two Clan Sutherland Pipe Band and became the ‘sound man’ for the band, making the reeds and tuning the band for competition. With Chris’ ear and knowledge the band went on to become the grade two Champion of Champions in 1997.

Chris was honored to be asked to be Pipe Major of the prestigious Scottish Piping Society of London soon after this and gratefully accepted the position. During this time Chris became an approved judge with the Joint Committee for judging for light music.

Chris has now relocated to the States and is continuing to make world class reeds, conduct workshops, teach and is now a qualified judge with the MWPBA for both band and solo competition.

Robin Rayne Nelson - Woodstock, Georgia

Robin Nelson Robin Rayne Nelson has been passionate about pipe bands and Scottish music since the age of 6. Robin joined a pipe band near Chicago as a young teen and has served as Atlanta Pipe Band bass section leader since 1998. A three-time Open Champion Supreme bass drummer in EUSPBA solo competitions, Robin also coaches several pipe bands in the south. Robin's musical and forward-thinking midsection scores earned the Atlanta Pipe Band numerous 'Best Bass Section' awards in recent years. Robin is a photojournalist, writer and documentary producer, based in Woodstock, Georgia.