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2005 Overall Winner Willie McCallum |
32nd Glenfiddich Piping Championships
The 32nd Glenfiddich Piping Championships were held at Blair Castle on 29 October, 2005.
The winner of the 2005 Glenfiddich Piping Championship was defending title holder William McCallum. Gaining the accolade for an incredible eighth time, McCallum was placed first in both the Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey and Reel elements of the competition to be declared overall champion.
He particularly impressed the judges with his haunting rendition of Lament for Donald Ban MacCrimmon in the piobaireachd element of the contest.
Willie is well known within piping circles as one of Scotland's finest solo players. Originally from Campbeltown he now lives in Glasgow where he works as an accountant for Strathclyde University. He first won the Glenfiddich title fifteen years ago in 1990 and is the only player to have secured the Championship eight times.
In second place was Angus MacColl from Oban and third was overseas competitor Greg Wilson from Cambridge, New Zealand.
The competition was held at Blair Castle, Perthshire on October 29th and attracted a capacity audience of over 400 piping enthusiasts from around the globe. The Glenfiddich Piping Championship is regarded as the most prestigious solo competition in existence and features the world's ten best players who qualify for the event by winning other highly prestigious piping contests.
The results are as follows:
Piobaireachd
· 1st William McCallum. Lament for Donald Ban MacCrimmon
· 2nd Greg Wilson. Donald Gruamach’s March
· 3rd Bruce Gandy. MacCrimmon’s Sweetheart
· 4th Angus MacColl. Patrick Og MacCrimmon’s Lament
· 5th Murray Henderson. Old Men of the Shells
March, Strathspey & Reel
(each tune played twice)
· 1st William McCallum. Captain Campbell of Drum A Voisk, Dora MacLeod, Lt.Col. D.J.S. Murray
· 2nd Angus MacColl. John MacFadyen of Melfort, Caber Feidh, Mrs. MacPherson of Inveran
· 3rd Murray Henderson. Crags of Stirling, The Shepherd’s Crook, John Morrison of Assynt House
· 4th Gordon Walker. The Argyllshire Gathering, The Piper’s Bonnet, The Sheepwife
· 5th Iain Speirs. Donald MacLellan of Rothesay, Arniston Castle, The Smith of Chilliechassie
2005 OVERALL WINNERS ARE:
· 1st William McCallum
· 2nd Angus MacColl
· 3rd Greg Wilson
The BALVENIE MEDAL FOR SERVICES TO PIPING was awarded to ANNIE GRANT of Dunoon, Argyllshire.
2005 Overall Winner Willie McCallum
