3rd Annual International Bagpipe Day to be celebrated at TTU School of Music
The 3rd annual International Bagpipe Day takes place on Monday, March 10th. This truly international and multicultural event is celebrated all over Europe and the United States, as well as in Central and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and in Asia.
Long associated primarily with Scotland and Scottish culture, the bagpipes are actually an ancient instrument with over 130 different regional varieties from all over Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and India. In addition to Scotland, England and Ireland have their own distinct bagpipes and traditions. For over 30 years there has been an ongoing and widening revival of all the bagpipe traditions in Europe.
International Bagpipe Day will be celebrated here in Lubbock at Texas Tech University by Roger Landes (English Border Bagpipes, Irish Uilleann Bagpipes) and Patrick McLaurin (Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes, Scottish Smallpipes), who will perform at 11:00AM on Monday, March 10th, in the SUB behind the TTU School of Music, 18th and Boston, in Lubbock.
Roger Landes, who organized the local event, is a Fine Arts PhD student in Musicology at the School of Music. Primarily known as an Irish bouzouki (string instrument) player, he has played the Irish Uilleann bagpipes off and on (mostly off) for over 20 years. After a three decade career in the field of Irish traditional music he entered graduate school in order to pursue teaching full time. A recent convert to the newly-revived English Border Bagpipes, he took them up in 2011.
Patrick McLaurin has been playing the Great Highland Bagpipes and Scottish Smallpipes since 1996. He maintains a website for teaching, understanding, and promoting the art of highland piping (patrickmclaurin.com). Patrick regularly competes in solo bagpipe competitions in the southwest USA. According to his wife he has way too many bagpipes. When he’s not piping Patrick teaches chemistry at Texas Tech University.
For more information contact:
Roger Landes roger.landes@ttu.edu (575) 613-2203
Background information:
Bagpipe Day at the TTU School of Music:
https://www.facebook.com/events/217651215097752/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regularInternational
International Bagpipe Day FaceBook page:
https://www.facebook.com/internationaldayofthebagpipe
The Bagpipes Society (London):
http://www.bagpipesociety.org.uk/
The International Bagpipe Organization (London):
https://internationalbagpipeorganisation.wordpress.com/second-international-bagpipe-conference/
The genesis of International Bagpipe Day:
http://andy-letcher.blogspot.com/2012/03/international-bagpipe-day.html
