If you play the pipes, highland or uillean, or know someone who does, you'll want to check out this notice from The Gathering Festival. They are offering chances for those who like to play pipes around the kitchen table rather than in formal pipe band situations opportunities to step out and play at one of homecoming year's biggest festivals. Kitchen pipers, read on for what the festival organizers have to say...

"The pipes, the pipes are calling...

...or rather, we are calling for pipers to take part in a Kitchen competition on the first day of The Gathering 2009, in collaboration with the National Piping Centre.

Kitchen piping is a development in competitive piping in which the ability to entertain an audience, using a combination of creative flair and virtuoso technical ability, takes precedence over the more structured and formal requisites of the traditional competition format.

If you, or someone you know, would be interested in performing then now is the time to get in touch! Competitors will be competing for a chance to win a prize of £200 with all competitors receiving a special commemorative medal, and an appearance fee of £50.

For selection purposes prospective competitors are required to submit a short recording of their playing to be vetted by National Piping Centre Principal Roddy MacLeod. Recordings can be sent by email to [email protected] or by post to The National Piping Centre, 30-34 McPhater Street,
Cowcaddens, Glasgow, G4 0HW.

--> for more about The Gathering, where Capercaillie , Julie Fowlis, and others will be playing http://thegathering2009.com

also from The Gathering’s press office

One of Scotland’s pre-eminent singer-songwriters, Dougie MacLean, will be performing live at The Gathering 2009 in Holyrood Park on Sunday 26 July.

Dougie has been described as “a musical hero” by the Wall Street Journal and one of his classic songs Caledonia has been adopted as the theme tune of Homecoming Scotland year, which celebrities, including Sir Sean Connery and Lulu, sing in the official television advertisement.

Dougie said: “I'm really looking forward to performing at The Gathering 2009 in Holyrood Park along with some of Scotland's finest musicians. From the response I'm getting from audience members throughout the world, I'm aware that there's a real excitement about the idea of Homecoming Scotland 2009.

“The music, history and landscape of Scotland features large in the imaginations of so many people in near and distant countries. A year of 'special welcome' and co-ordinated events is a wonderful idea and I am also looking forward welcoming visitors to my own Homecoming event, The Perthshire Amber Festival, later this year."

Also playing on the main stage on Sunday is leading Scottish group Capercaillie, while BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2008, Julie Fowlis, will headline on Saturday, with Braebach opening the weekend’s festival. The Battlefield Band and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers will be performing on both days.

-->you may also want to see

http://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/09/now-playing-short-film-about-julie...

a short film about julie fowlis --in which she plays the pipes

We’ll have more about Perthshire Amber coming up here as well, stay tuned.

Kerry Dexter is the Music Editor for Wandering Educators.

Kerry's credits include VH1, CMT, the folk music magazine Dirty Linen, Strings, and The Encyclopedia of Ireland and the Americas. She also writes about the arts and creative practice at http://www.musicroad.blogspot.com Music Road.. You may reach her at music at wanderingeducators dot com.