OPS welcomes Rob Barrick as December's piping judge! In This Issue:

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1 In Our 23 rd Year! Volume 23 December 2010 OPS welcomes Rob Barrick as December's piping judge! Rob began studying pipes from PM Ian Duncan at the age of nine and later with Jamie Troy. He was a member of the grade one City of Victoria Pipe Band and twice earned sixth place at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland. After moving to Portland Oregon in 1983, Rob played bass in several rock bands before collaborating with singer Peter Yeates to form Full Shilling, one of the pioneering Celtic fusion bands. Rob also was a founding member of Raven, a Celtic folk group with three albums to their credit. In collaboration with harpist Elizabeth Nicholson, Rob has produced several recordings including Celtic Wedding Music and Celtic Meditation. Rob's recording studio, BarBarrick Music, has produced many Celtic related CDs, including a live recording of the Pipe Band competition at the Portland Highland Games in Rob is currently an approved adjudicator through the BC Pipers Association and in demand for playing for dance competitions including the North West Regional Championships since Rob has also been an instructor at the Coeur d' Alene School of Piping and Drumming for the last 20 years. Note: Due to a previous committment, Rob is unable to remain after the competition to perform for us and has arranged for Judy Morrison to play in his stead. In This Issue: Rob Barrick Piping Judge Judy Morrison Featured Performer The Desert Thistle Pipe Band Guest Ensemble Eliot Grasso Uilleann Piper Robbie Johnston Local Hero November Meeting Recap Competition Rules, Schedule, and Mail-in Registration Membership Mail-in Registration Meeting Details: Date: Saturday, December 11, 2010 Location: Oregon Pipers Society VFW Hall, 837 SE Mill, Portland Times: Entry Fee: 5 p.m. Solo Piping/Drumming Contest 7:30 p.m. Performance Program $5 for OPS members $7 for non-members Find OPS on FACEBOOK Or at our Website:

2 Judy Morrison Featured Performer and Pipe Major of Our Guest Ensemble: The Desert Thistle Pipe Band Judy began piping in the mid-1970s in Montana and attended the piping school in Coeur d Alene, Idaho for many years, receiving piobaireachd instruction from Andrew Wright, Donald Morrison, Evan Macrae, Rob Wallace, and many others. Judy began directing the Coeur d Alene school in 1980 and has been involved in that capacity ever since. In the late 1970s, Judy played with the Portland Ladies Pipe Band and then directed the Shadle Park High School Highlanders Pipe Band and played with the Angus Scot Pipe Band in Spokane. She played with the Prince George Legion Pipe Band in Prince George, BC and then with the Willamette Valley Pipe Band for which she was Pipe Major from Currently she is the Pipe Major of the Desert Thistle Pipe Band from the Tri- Cities, Washington. Judy lives in Kennewick, Washington with husband Don Stewart (Pipe Sergeant DTPB), daughter Lexy Stewart (tenor drummer DTPB), and son Jamie Stewart (side drummer DTPB). The Desert Thistle Pipe Band is now in its 34th year, and its 12th year under Pipe Major Judy Morrison. The band plays a number of engagements in the mid-columbia area, and participates in smaller competitions east of the mountains. Assisting Judy is Pipe Sergeant Don Stewart; Drum Sergeant Glenn Wright joined the band in Recently Margaret Nickerson, former bass drummer for the Willamette Valley Pipe Band, took over as bass drummer for the Desert Thistle. Under Judy s tenure as pipe major, the band has put an emphasis on training developing pipers and drummers, and has a close relationship with the Coeur d Alene summer school. The Desert Thistle Pipe Band is fortunate to have a number of promising young players in both the pipe and drum corps and hope to continue to build the competition group. The band wears the Blue Ramsay tartan. Eliot Grasso to play Uillean Pipes Baltimore native and Oregon resident Eliot Grasso, hails from a long line of familial musicians. He began playing Irish traditional music on the flute at age seven, tin whistle at age eight, and uilleann pipes at age eleven. In 1995, Eliot began studying rudimentary piping technique with Paul Levin and later that year, began studying advanced piping technique with Na Píobairí Uilleann instructor, Kieran O'Hare. Since 1996, Eliot has won regional and international first, second, and third place titles in the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil in New York and Ireland's International Fleadh Cheoil na héireann in the uilleann pipes and tin whistle divisions. Continued on next page

3 continued form previous page. Since 1999, Eliot has performed as a soloist with the Washington Chamber Symphony and the Harrisburg Symphony. In addition, Eliot has made appearances at the Kennedy Center, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall with The Chieftains, and has entertained President and Mrs. Clinton at the National Endowment for the Arts Awards. In 2002, at age 18, Eliot recorded his first solo album entitled, Standing Room Only. Eliot holds a BA in music from Goucher College and a Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. Much in demand as a teacher and performer in the continental United States and in Europe, Eliot is currently completing a Ph.D. in musicology at the University of Oregon. By popular demand, Eliot will have CD's for sale at the performance. Robbie Johnston Local Hero OPS welcomes Robbie Johnston as December's local hero. A member of The Oregon State Defense Force Pipe Band, Robbie took 1 st Place in the OPS Grade 4 Piobaireachd during the OPS November competition. Robbie was one of two young pipers awarded scholarships last May from Oregon Pipers Society. Please check the January OPS News for more information on Robbie's education and interests. An Open Letter from the Event Director for the Newport Celtic Festival & Highland Games Every so often an event is born from the passion of citizens whose goal is simply to share their culture with the greater community. The Newport Celtic Festival & Highland Games is just such an occasion and is slated for June 10, 11, 12, 2011 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Newport, Oregon. This weekend festival will celebrate the wonderfully diverse cultures of the seven Celtic Nations: Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales. The festival is being produced in association with the City of Newport's Parks and Recreation Department and will bring a new flavor and cultural awareness to Oregon's Central Coast. We intend to accomplish this by setting the stage for a gathering of the Clans. There will be Celtic music, dance, athletics, theater and vendors who sell authentic food, drink, arts, crafts, family histories and other items deeply rooted in these rich cultures. Our kick-off events include a traditional community dance, parade, kilted fun run and a golf tournament fundraiser. We are currently seeking Celtic Dancers, Clans, Historians, Genealogists, Reenactors, Dog Breeds, Parade Participants, Pipers & Drummers and any other performers who strive to demonstrate and convey an authentic Celtic cultural experience to festival attendees and athletes. We are also in need of volunteers who can help transform our venue and others who will work during the event as a part of our enthusiastic team. Our personal goal is to make this festival a not-tobe-missed annual event that will become a part of the greater Northwestern US and Canadian Highland Games festival circuit. If you would like to support, perform or participate in this event, please contact us or visit our web site for additional details about all the events we have in store. We also encourage you to pass along this exciting news to others who might be interested. We hope to see you there! Slainte, Belinda Goody Event Director Newport Celtic Festival & Highland Games - 3 -

4 November Recap: Local hero, IAN TOOHEY entertained the OPS audience with "Loch Rannoch" and a selection of jigs. Ian's primary bagpiping instructor is his father, John Toohey. He began playing bagpipes in August of 2009 at the age of 13. He has recently started taking piobaireachd lessons from Richard Gillies and Collin Mackinzie. In April 2010, Ian took a 2nd place in grade 4 at the BC Indoors. He finished 2nd overall and since then he has consistently finished in the top 2 nearly every time he has competed. One of the highlights of last summer was winning a scholarship from Oregon Pipers Society. With it, he was able to go to Piping Hot Summer Drummer camp in BC Canada. There he enjoyed the excellent teaching and camaraderie of other pipers from the Northwest. Ian is homeschooled and in the 9th grade. He has played with the Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band since October In addition to playing pipes, he plays high school soccer and is active in his youth group. He is planning to study biology in college. OPS welcomed Alastair Lee as judge and featured performer. A professional grade piper and member of the Simon Frasier University Pipe Band, Alastair shared some insights into some of the solo competition pieces he will be playing next summer in Scotland. Alastair entertained the OPS audience with some nice 4/4 marches, jigs & hornpipes and a double MSR. The OPS audience kept to their tradition of requesting Piobaireachd and Alastair excelled by playing two, including "Battle of the Storm". He finished off his performance with a light music set including an accordian piece he adapted to bagpipe after hearing it on YouTube a couple of days earlier. The Oregon State Defense Force Pipe Band marched in with "At Long Last". They played a varied selection of tunes including "A Man's A Man For A' That", "Farewell to Nigg" and "Battle of Waterloo". The highlight of their evening's performance was the band's quartet set which included "The Duck". The pipers and drummers of The Oregon State Defense Force Pipe Band honor our nation's men and women of the armed forces by playing for veterans groups and at ceremonies. All ages and abilities are encouraged to participate. The band's youth program nurtures champion pipers and drummers who have competed and won honors throughout the Pacific Northwest. Competition Results Congratulations to all competitors regardless of placing! Piping Judge: Mr. Alastair Lee Chanter-2/4 March 1st- J.P Harrod 2nd- Dashiel Pederson Adult- Slow Air 1st- Stuart Vickery Grade 4- Piobaireachd (ground & 1st variation) 1st- Robbie Johnston 2nd- Stewart Nevling 3rd- Hunter Kern Grade 2- MSR (submit 2 marches) 1st- Alistair Ramsay Drumming Judge: No Judge Available - 4 -

5 Competition Schedule for Session Schedule: Detailed listing of events is shown in the chart below. There will be no competition in February because of the planned workshop. Times: Chanter and Grade 5 Check in 4:30. Competition 5:00. All other piping grades Check in 5:00. Be prepared to play. All drumming grades Check in 5:30. Be prepared to play. You must check in at the competition desk at or before the check in time listed and be prepared to play at check in time if your steward requests you to do so. Because we take field entries, we cannot predict the order of play in advance, so be prepared to play first. Order of play will follow reverse order entry (first to enter is last to play). It is recommended to use the mail in entry form for early registration. All contestants are required to play in recognizable Highland attire except Chanter class. Tune Requirements: All tunes for piping and drumming events are required to be 4 parts. Exceptions are all changer class and grade 5 piping events where 2 parts of a tune played twice is permitted. Also note specific requirements for certain grade 2 and 1 piping events indicated in the chart below. Membership: If you live in Oregon or the Portland metro area, including Vancouver, WA, you need to be a member of OPS in order to compete. Awards will be given during performance. Piping Schedule Session Grade December 11 January 8 February 12 March 5 April 9 Chanter Any Tune Slow Air 2/4 March Any Tune Adult 6/8 March 2/4 March Grade 5 2/4 March Slow Air 6/8 March Grade 4 2/4 March Workshop (No Competition) Strathspey & Reel Grade 3 Piobaireachd 2/4 March Jig Grade 2 Grade 1 MSR (submit 2 of each) Piobaireachd (submit 2) Piobaireachd (submit 3) Hornpipe & Jig Jig (submit 2 tune to be played twice) Drumming Schedule Session Grade December 11 January 8 February 12 March 5 April 9 Beginner (practice pad) 3/4 March 4/4 March 6/8 March Snare Grade 4 Snare Grade 3 Tenor Grade 2 4/4 March 2/4 March Workshop (No MSR 2/4 March Competition) (4 part march, 2 6/8 March parts strathspey and reel) 2/4 March 6/8 March - 5 -

6 OPS Competition Mail-In Registration Form Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Day Phone: Circle One: Piper / Drummer Grade: Evening Phone: October 9th: $ November 13th: $ December 11th: $ January 8th: $ March 5th: $ April 9th: $ OPS Donation (tax deductible): $ Total Enclosed: $ No competition in February because of the workshop. All competitors must be prepared to play at check-in and to perform when requested. Check-in starts at 4:00 PM. The check-in times are as follows: Chanter and grades 5 and 4 check-in by 4:30 PM. Other piping grades check-in by 5:00 PM. Drumming check-in by 5:30 PM. Order of play follows reverse order of entry - first to enter is last to play. All contestants are required to play in recognized Highland attire (except for the chanter class). Best of luck! Mail-In Entries: Registration fee is $4 for per event for OPS members and $5 per event for OPS non-members. Mail-in registration may be submitted for the entire season or for selected event dates. Order of play will be determined by order of entry receipt dates, giving advantage to those who pre-register versus day-of entries, so mail in early. Payment must accompany registration. (Sorry, there are no refunds for no-shows.) Day-Of Entries: Registration fee is $5 per event for OPS members and $7 per event for OPS non-members. Entries will also be accepted until the check-in deadline on the day of the event. For more information: Please contact the competition coordinator at competition@oregonpiperssociety.org Mail cheque payable to OPS and your Mail-In Registration Form to: OPS Competition 6707 SW 14 th Ave. Portland, OR OPS Membership Registration Form Family: Members: Address: City, State, Zip: Day Phone: Evening Phone: Dues for 2010/2011 OPS membership: $20.00 Additional donation (Thank You!): Total Enclosed: Your OPS membership dues and additional donation are tax deductable and help to pay for piping and drumming scholarships, performances, workshops and hall rental. Your $20 OPS membership covers two adults and their children for one season (October through April). Pick-up your membership card at the next OPS competition/performance you attend. Bring your membership card with you to get a $2 discount per family member at each OPS competition/performance. For more information: Please contact the membership coordinator at membership@oregonpiperssociety.org Mail cheque payable to OPS and your OPS Membership Registration Form to: OPS Membership c/o D. Bacon SW Loon Drive Beaverton, OR 97007