Piping Live! is Away!

Glasgow’s Piping Live! festival had its official kick off this week. The event lineup is now listed on the Piping Live! website.

For those who have never experienced the week-long festival before, it is the “must go” week for pipers and drummers in town for the World Pipe Band Championships. It is full immersion piping if there ever was such a thing. Non-stop piping, mini-band competitions, solo piping, quartet performances, celtic music of all stripes with a gathering of pipes and musicians that rivals Glasgow’s own Celtic Connections in January.

The Piping Live! festival continues to grow in both scope and quality, with more venues and performances. Good for worldwide piping! The lunchtime recitals at the National Piping Centre, featuring the world’s top players, have been a fixture of the festival since its beginning. These recitals are joined this year by the Glennfiddich recitals in George Square for a double dose of top solo piping. The festival also seems to be making George square an even bigger featured location this year with solo piping recitals, music sessions, and the ubiquitous pipe band and stage performances taking place throughout the day. The festival’s “After Worlds Shindig” takes place the Saturday after the World Pipe Band Championships and features Irish supergroup Lúnasa.

The festival lineup is likely to change come August (as it always does) but, that is usually for the better. For now, all bagpipe junkies can start blocking out their itinerary now.