Piping organisations unite to create a new Scottish centre of excellence

A move to a new national centre of excellence for piping has been approved this week.

The boards of the College of Piping and the National Piping Centre have agreed, in principle, that the College will transfer its charitable and commercial activities to The National Piping Centre in Glasgow.

This bold move will allow for the study and performance of Scotland’s national instrument.

The two charities have agreed that this is the best way to promote and support piping in future.

The combined organisation will operate under the name The National Piping Centre, incorporating The College of Piping.

It will continue to offer a full range of educational activities and qualifications, to act as a home to The National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland and to host Piping Live!, the Glasgow International Piping Festival.

Pipers will benefit from the union of the College of Piping and the National Piping Centre

The board of directors of the National Piping Centre will be joined by the present chairman of the College of Piping.

The College of Piping, based in Otago Street, Glasgow, was formed in 1944 by Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston to pass on the art of the Great Highland Bagpipe to all who wanted to learn, while the National Piping Centre, based in Glasgow’s McPhater Street, was founded in 1996 by Sir Brian and Lady Ivory and Sandy Grant Gordon.

Colin MacNeill, the chairman of the College of Piping, said: ‘To merge the organisations at this time makes sense for many reasons, not least because this is the best thing to support the tuition and promotion of the history and performance of the bagpipes. This will be extremely positive for the bagpipe world.’

Sir Brian Ivory, on behalf of the National Piping Centre said: ‘We are delighted that the College of Piping has decided to join us. It has played a very important role in support of the piping tradition since 1944.’

The National Piping Centre teach every level of piper, with the youngest being three years old, and the eldest is 93, teaching over 900 people every month.