Get year-round Piping & Drumming Lessons from our Balmoral Staff Instructors
Piping - Sean Patrick Regan
Sean Patrick Regan is an Open grade solo piping competitor. He holds a Master of Music Performance (Bagpipe) from Carnegie Mellon University, a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, a Graduate Certificate from the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, and terminal certificates in Bagpipe Theory, Performance, Piobaireachd, and Teaching, from the Scottish Qualifications Authority. He has won Piper of the Day in the Open grade at numerous events throughout the EUSPBA, and is a former Piobaireachd and Overall winner of the Grade 1 events hosted by the United States Piping Foundation and the World Online Piping and Drumming Championships. Sean has piped in bands of every grade level, and serves as band instructor and Pipe Major of the Balmoral Pipes & Drums. In addition to performing as a soloist for concerts and other events throughout the year, Sean regularly performs with The Rogues, "America's Celtic Band.” He teaches online and in Pittsburgh.
Sean Patrick Regan plays 11 Hornpipes.
Piping - George Balderose
George Balderose co-founded the Balmoral School with his teacher Jim McIntosh, M.B.E. in 1979. During the 1980s, he studied with all the great piping instructors they brought to the Balmoral School and has served as a Balmoral instructor since the 1990’s. Many of George’s students have won trophies at EUSPBA-sanctioned piping competitions. He is the founding instructor of the Balmoral Pipes & Drums and the Pittsburgh Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums, and has performed as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. A New York Times reviewer said "George has a virtuoso’s gift." He won the MacCrimmon Quaich for Grade 1 Piobaireachd four times, and is a member of the performance ensemble Road to the Isles. He has published two books: The Balmoral Collection of Hymns Arranged for the Highland Bagpjpe, and The Balmoral Guide to playing the Bagpipes for Community Dances.
George Balderose in performance, Winter 2018.
Piping - Richmond Johnston
Staff Instructor Richmond Johnston became a school administrator shortly after his first summer at Balmoral in 1991, later becoming a piping teacher and member of the Balmoral Board of Directors. During his years at Balmoral, he was able to study with many piping greats, including Alasdair Gillies, Norman Gillies, Jack Lee, James MacColl, John MacDoughall, Iain MacLellan, Jimmy McIntosh, Gordon Mooney, Iain Morrison, Donald McPhee, Nancy Tunnicliffe and John Wilson. An experienced solo piper, he competes with Award-Winning Catamount Pipe Band of Vermont. A number of his students have become award-winning pipers. A late starter himself, he enjoys teaching adult beginners. Richmond teaches in person from his home in High Falls, NY, and online via Zoom.
Richmond's performance for our 2020 Instructors' Concert.
Drumming - Ian McLeod
Balmoral Pipes & Drums drumming instructor, Ian McLeod, started playing when he was 10 years old, and began teaching at age 15. He’s currently had 22 years’ experience playing drums, and 17 years teaching. From the time of his first drumming competition, Ian took a mere four years to advance to Grade One. In 2006, Ian was Drum Sergeant for the Balmoral Highlanders when they took 3rd at the prestigious competition at the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville, Ontario, and is featured on one of the band’s albums. McLeod also performed with the Grade One Windsor Police Pipe Band, of Windsor, Ontario, and in 2007, traveled to Scotland to play in World’s Pipe Band Championships. Here in the city of Pittsburgh, Ian has written scores for Balmoral Pipes & Drums, and has taught drumming to members of Pittsburgh’s Macdonald Pipe Band. He performed with preeminent Celtic band, The Chieftains, on their Irish Goodbye tour.