Ottawa Branch - PPBSO (2025)

22/09/2025

🔎🏆The Glengarry Cup Judge Reveal 🏆🔎

John Cairns comes from a piping family that has a long and prestigious musical history and he has studied under the best teachers in both Canada and Scotland. As a soloist, he has won many major prizes, including:

• Eight Pipers’ and Pipe Band Society of Ontario (PPBSO) Champion Supreme designations,
• Three North American Champion titles,
• The Bratach Gorm,
• The Piobaireachd Society Canadian Gold Medal, Bar to the Gold Medal and Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel Contest,
• Three Livingstone Invitational Contests, and
• Three Fergus Gold Medals for Light Music.

In 1999, John achieved a feat that every piper dreams of - he became the 10th person in the history of piping and the first person from outside of Scotland to win the two Highland Society of London Gold Medals for solo piping at both Oban and Inverness, Scotland in the same year.

As a teacher, John holds the internationally recognized Institute of Piping’s Senior Teacher’s Certificate and has taught all over North America. After a long 17-year career, John just retired as the Pipe Major (director) of the Peel Regional Police Pipe Band from Toronto, Ontario - winners of 7 North American Championships and 9 PPBSO Champion Supreme title. Before joining Peel, he spent twelve years as the Pipe Sergeant with the 78th Fraser Highlanders Grade 1 Pipe Band. John's experience in Grade 1 pipe bands dates to 1982. John adjudicates regularly throughout North America, is an accomplished composer and is the owner of Bagpipe Solutions by John Cairns - www.bagpipesolutions.com.

🎟 >>https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

21/09/2025

🎶🥁 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! 🥁🎶

The PPBSO–Ottawa Branch 2025–2026 Knockout Season is officially underway !

Whether you're a seasoned performer or ready to step into the spotlight for the first time, this is your chance to showcase your skills, challenge yourself, and take part in our amazing community.

🔗 Register here: https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/knockout-series

Note: This Year's AGM will be taking place at our first Knockout on October 25th.

Join us, bring your best, and make your mark this season. 🎼

20/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎵Alastair Murray was born in Northern Ireland🇮🇪, brought up in local pipe bands, including Gilnahirk Pipe Band, Bangor Cal Pipe Band, and Glassdrummond Pipe Band, through guidance of Francis Strain and Fred Russell. He has played with top grade one bands Ravara, Ballycoan and St Laurence O’Toole. Alastair is thankful to have received excellent tuition from William McCallum and most recently Bill Livingstone.🎵

🏅Alastair's recent piping successes include winner of the Joesph Macdonald invitational competition, 1st places in the piobaireachd at the glengarry cup North American championship Piobaireachd, the American Piobaireachd championship, and the Gold Medal Competiiton at the Ligoneir Highland Games. He has won several prizes in the silver medal at Winter Storm in Kansas City and the Canadian gold medal competition. Alastair has been overall Ohio branch champion in both Piobaireachd and light music 6 times in a row and won multiple prizes in Scotland, Ireland and North America.🏅

🐾When not piping, he is showing his Siberian Huskies with his wife Kristen.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

20/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

Sean McKeown began piping in 1993.

🏅He has been fortunate to achieve several notable solo piping awards, including the Canadian Gold Medal and the Bar for Piobaireachd, and has won the Livingstone Invitational three times. In Scotland, Sean earned the Silver Medal for Piobaireachd, and the A-Grade Hornpipe and Jig at Inverness in 2015, and in 2016 placed second at both Gold Medal events at Oban and Inverness. He has also earned several prizes in the A-Grade light music and Gold Medal Piobaireachd competitions at Oban and Inverness.🏅

🎵In the pipe band scene, Sean was a member of the Milton Optimist Pipe Band, winning the Juvenile World Pipe Band Championship in 1994 and the Grade 3 title in 1997. He later played with the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band and the Toronto Police Pipe Band, where he served as Pipe Major of the Grade 1 band from 2015 to 2018. In 2016 and 2017, he performed in the Live in Ireland '87 tribute concerts held in Glasgow and Belfast, and in 2019, joined the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band in Northern Ireland, winning the Grade 1 World Championship in 2022 and placing second in 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025.🎵

🎼Beyond competition, Sean has supported various local pipe bands, recorded his own compositions, and performed live with a ceilidh band called The Tartan Terrors. He has also shared the stage with Bryan Adams, Natalie MacMaster, and Black Pistol Fire—a rock band founded by his brother.

🏠Sean holds a degree in Physical Health and Education from the University of Toronto and works as a Detective Constable with the Toronto Police. He is a proud father and supports his two children in their Highland dance and piping journeys.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

19/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎶Scott grew up learning to play the pipes in the 1990’s in New Brunswick. During his early years he was fortunate to play with the Fredericton Society of St. Andrews grade 2 pipe band which was a very successful band at that time. This early influence allowed him to accelerate through the grade levels of solo piping.

🏅Scott is somewhat unique in that he has taken many breaks from his bagpiping career. In fact he has only played 15 of the 30 years since he graduated high school. Regardless of the inconsistency of his playing, he has been able to achieve success winning the Piobaireachd Gold medal contest at Maxville in 2008. He has also won the Glengarry cup in the past and continues to make placings sporadically on the open piping circuit. He continues to enjoy piobaireachd in particular and looks forward to having a more relaxed professional work schedule in the future allowing him to continue to compete.

🌟Scott has also had the opportunity to play in many successful pipe bands in the past including Peel Regional police (2002), 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel (2004-2006), Glengarry Pipe Band, the 78th Fraser Highlanders (2010), Ottawa Police Pipe Band (2014-16), and most recently playing with the Ottawa Highlanders.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

19/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎼Pipe Major The Glengarry Pipe Band, The Lothian and Borders Police Pipe Band, Co Pipe Major the Dunvegan Pipe Band, Member of The Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band.

🏅Director the Glengarry School of Piping and Drumming, Head of Piping Studies The National Piping Centre, President the Competing Pipers Association, Chairman The Piping and Drumming Qualification Board, Board Member Piping Live, President the Solo Piping Judges Association.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

18/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

Ian K.MacDonald is the proud husband of Brenda Lynn and Father to Colin, Cameron and the beautiful Ashlyn.

🎵He is Pipe Major of the Toronto Police Pipe Band and a Serving officer and a member of Ontario’s only Grade 1 band the 78th Fraser Highlander’s and was taught by his father, John MacDonald and Jim McGillivray for Piobaireachd.

🏅A double Gold Medalist in 2016 and current PPBSO Open Piping Champion Supreme award and recently awarded the Capt. John MacLelland Medal at the Annual Capt. John Dinner in Edinburgh.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

18/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

Jenny was born and raised near Toronto🇨🇦, and was first taught piping by Michael Grey.

🎵🏅She had various solo piping successes in North America, including winning the Metro Cup in New York and the ‘gold medal’ MSR at Maxville, as well as an enjoyable eight years playing with the 78th Fraser Highlanders pipe band. In 1999, Jenny moved to Scotland with her husband Colin MacLellan. She won the Silver Medal at Inverness that same year, and has continued to be a strong contender in solo piping competitions since then, with several prizes in A-grade events at the Northern Meeting, London, the Scottish Pipers’ Association, and other venues.

In 2017, Jenny joined the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, with whom she has won two World Championships, so far.

🎟 >>https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

17/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎶Jacob is originally from Sarnia, Ontario🇨🇦. He began playing with the local legion band alongside several family members. He moved up the solo grades under the tuition of Bill McLeod in Kincardine and then received tuition from Willie Connell for the better part of a decade. Willie guided Jacob into the professional ranks at age 16 after a successful amateur career, during which he won or tied for Ontario Championship Supreme awards in all but one grade. 🏅

🎼As a professional, Jacob has won numerous awards in Canada and abroad, including multiple PPBSO Champion Supreme awards for Professional Piobaireachd, the Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada) in 2014, and the Professional Piobaireachd at the Glengarry Highland Games in 2023 and 2025.

🎵Jacob has also been an active member of several top bands, including the Windsor Police, which finished in the top five in Grade 2 at the World Pipe Band Championships every year they attended (2001-2005). After graduating from Queen’s in Kingston with a Master’s in History, Jacob moved to Ottawa in 2012 to complete a Master’s in Public Administration. He joined the Ottawa Police Service Pipe Band the following year, and played an integral role on the band's tuning team. In 2017, he brought the band back to competition after a two year hiatus, and served as pipe major until January 2025.

🙌Jacob has also played a significant role in the PPBSO through his former role as president of the Ottawa Branch. During his tenure, he was instrumental in introducing several competitions and teaching initiatives. He is currently a member of the PPBSO Music Committee.

🏠Today, Jacob lives in Maxville, Ontario with his wife Emily, who hails from Martintown in South Glengarry. They are both actively involved in the Glengarry Pipe Band organization. He recently became Principal of the Glengarry School of Piping and Drumming and is lead instructor for the newly formed Glengarry Juvenile Pipe Band.

🎟 >>https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025
#⃣ >>
💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

17/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎶Ross Davison is a multi-instrumentalist, teacher, performer, and composer. He began playing the highland bagpipe in 1996 after attending the Glengarry Highland Games for the first time with his family. After completing his music degree, he moved permanently to Ottawa and began honing his understanding of the bagpipe with area experts. 🎶

🌟He was promoted to Open status in 2021 and inducted into the Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame in 2025.

Ross teaches grade 7/8 music and band at Holy Trinity High School in Kanata where he also resides with his wife Katherine, and daughter Johanna.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

16/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎵Daniel grew up learning to play bagpipes taught by Ed Neigh. It was through Sheila Milne, one of the great highland dance teachers of the last 50+ years, that connected Daniel with Ed Neigh to learn to play bagpipes.He was the master in teaching students and many of us rose to the professional ranks and are winning major prizes today. Currently, Daniel takes regular lessons with Jim MacGillivray and is very thankful for his continued influence on his solo piping. 🎵

🏅In 2023, Daniel won the Canadian Gold medal for Piobaireachd at Maxville and was the overall champion supreme in light music for the PPBSO. Daniel is privileged to travel frequently throughout North America and Scotland to play for highland dancing events and in 2010 was the adult world highland dancing champion at the Cowal games in Dunoon. 🏅

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

✒️ >> PPBSO Niagara Hamilton Branch RJW Stonemasons Ltd

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

16/09/2025

🏆✨The Glengarry Cup Competitor Reveal✨ 🏆

🎼Aidan has been going to highland games his whole life, and first picked up the pipes at the age of 13. Since then he has regularly competed in PPBSO events throughout the grades in both bands and solos. He started playing in bands with the Durham Regional Police Pipe Band, and has won several Grade 1 North American Championships at the Maxville Highland games with the 78th Fraser Highlanders. 🎼

🏅In the solos, Aidan has gained various prizes in the professional grade, including contests across Canada, USA and Scotland.

Aidan is married to his wife Jeci ("jeh-see''), a Brazilian who he has introduced to the wonderful world of piping. He works professionally as a chartered accountant in Toronto.

🎟 >> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/event-details/glengarry-cup-2025

#⃣ >>

✒️ >> PPBSO Niagara Hamilton Branch RJW Stonemasons Ltd The 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band

💻>> https://www.ppbso-ottawa.org/competition

Ottawa Branch - PPBSO

22/09/2025

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