THE 2025 BALMORAL CLASSIC COMPETITION
Call for Piping & Drumming Competitors 21 and Under!
The Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming invites young pipers and drummers to apply to participate in the Balmoral Classic: US Junior Solo Bagpiping & Drumming Championships. The competition will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at CRC Understory, Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Pipers will compete in MSR and Pìobaireachd. The competition’s Overall prize is decided by a combination of scores from Pìobaireachd and MSR. The winner will receive a set of MacRae bagpipes donated by McCallum Bagpipes. Drumming trophies will be awarded for MSR, Hornpipe/Jig, and Overall. Prizes for the Overall Winner of the Drumming contest and all other prizes to be announced.
Piping judge Bruce Gandy, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is an internationally acclaimed bagpiper, teacher, and composer whose career blends championship success with a lifelong dedication to teaching. Solo prizes include winning the Silver Star for Former Winners MSR at Inverness, the Senior Piobaireachd at Oban, the Bratach Gorm in London (twice), and most recently the Masters MSR in Glasgow. He continues to inspire pipers at every level to learn deeply, play boldly, and achieve their own musical breakthroughs.
Piping judge Lezlie Webster, of Concord, New Hampshire, enjoyed a successful competitive piping career across Canada, the UK, and the USA, but found her true passion in teaching and mentoring others. As the first female piping judge for the EUSPBA and the only woman to win the USPF MSR, she has helped break barriers in the piping world. Today, she treasures the chance to judge alongside longtime friends and share the knowledge passed down from a lifetime of remarkable mentors.
Drumming judge Gordon Bell, of Neptune, New Jersey, a EUSPBA Overall Champion from 1979-1987, has over 30 years experience instructing drummers. Bell is a veteran of many top Grade One Pipe Bands, respected as one of the Premier drummers in the United States, and has been recognized as a world class drummer by the very best.
Stay tuned for more updates with judges for the piping and drumming.
PIPERS APPLY BY OCTOBER 10 at:
https://balmoralschoolofpiping.org/balmoral-classic-piping-application/
DRUMMERS APPLY BY OCTOBER 10 at:
https://balmoralschoolofpiping.org/balmoral-classic-drumming-application/
Our Balmoral Classic weekend starts off with the piping and drumming competition on Saturday, 8:30am to 4:00pm, with an awards ceremony after. On Saturday evening, at 7:30pm, following the competition, Balmoral will present Carnegie Mellon University Pipes and Drums – In Concert! There will be a free Piobaireachd workshop, taught by Bruce Gandy, open to all 2025 applicants and former Classic competitors, on Sunday morning.
Rooms for Balmoral Classic participants have been set aside at a discounted rate at the Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh University Center, 100 Lytton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA.