What are your future plans? Anything imminent? Will you resurrect the prize pipe competition? Will the Original Pibroch competition become annual?

We’d like to make the pibroch writing contest an annual event because the interest from participants was obviously there. Rob Wallace and I have spoken about his arranging the panel and announcements for next year and as yet have not heard of any issues that may prevent that from happening.

After discussions with the judges, we decided not to allow previously submitted tunes to be submitted in future contests, and I think that will keep the creative momentum alive without adding to the judge’s burden. The contest announcement will probably be posted in September for an April deadline. This schedule seems to allow composers time during the off-season to focus on refining their work.

Any suggestions on how to get new pibroch composer’s work out to the general public would be appreciated. Free access to older manuscripts from APC, Ceol Sean, and the PS has been a great benefit for the examination of this music, and the same access could be used to release new tunes to an interested audience. As long as copyright material is respected, playing of new music is a great way to increase the audience for it.

We hope to get the prize pipe competition off the ground again; perhaps not locally while our time is spent on the composer contest, but that hasn’t been decided yet. We have enough experience from the first event to be able to assist any communities that want to sponsor a similar event, and we may be interested in hearing from anyone with a proposal.

For myself, I am still working with Allan Macdonald and Bill Robertson on my piping and continue to teach snare to local students when I have time. My work as a water engineer in California affords little time for hobbies, but this contest, events, and hearing from enthusiastic people worldwide about their love of the music has been a most rewarding adventure.

Thank you for your time with me. I do look forward to seeing more from the Shasta Piping Society. These are exciting thoughts and ideas, reflective of the kind of exploration that signals a vibrant future for pibroch!