Pipe Major Robert G. Richardson of Glasgow, Scotland
As a member of the Supreme Grade I World Champions and Champions of Champions, Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band, Pipe Major Richardson toured in the former USSR and represented Scotland and the United Kingdom at the Canadian bicentennial.
Richardson was a senior Pipe Major of the two bands of the world-renowned Pipes & Drums of British Caledonian Airways. They performed on live television over 200 times in over 40 countries, and on five occasions for HRH Queen Elizabeth.
Instructors
- Seumas MacNeill College of Piping
- John Johnson Glasgow Police/College of Piping
- John D. Chritcheon R.S.P.B.A. Judge and Head of College Board
- lan McFayden World-renowned piping champion
- Robert G. Hardie Pipe Major Muirhead & Sons and top solo piper
- Donald MacPherson winner of more solo prizes than anyone in history
Solo Piping
- Juvenile Glasgow schools champion. West of Scotland
- R.S.P.B.A., West Scotland B.B., Knightswood, College piping, Highland games, etc.
- Amateur 1966 Scotland Amateur Champion
- Open Professional winning prizes in five countries
Pipe Bands
- Knightswood Juveniles Won all majors in Scotland
- 9-year member of the 5-time Grade One Champions of the World & 6-time Champion Muirhead & Sons Pipe Major, British Caledonian Airways
- 11 years, from grade Four to winning all majors in grade Two, to a prize-winning grade One band
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association
- 1970 Passed the instructors course of the S.P.B.A.
(PM. William Sloan, PM. J.K. Mac Allister, D.M. A.D. Hamilton, and D.M. Robert Bruce) - 1971 First Piper to pass the Drumming certificate
(D.M. Robert Bruce) - Member of the R.S.P.B.A. adjudicators panel judging all grades and representative of the Pipe Band Association in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, England, France and Holland.
- Member of the Scottish Pipe Band Advisory
- Judged Solo Piping & Pipe Band Competitions in 8 countries
Bobby Durning
Bobby started learning the Great Highland Bagpipes at the age of eight. He was taught for two years by a local pipe band in Bridge, NJ before being taught by Pipe Major George M. Bell of Parlin, NJ for eight years. He competed in amateur solo piping contests at many different Highland Games across the eastern USA starting at the age of eleven. Before being promoted into the professional solo competition level at the age of 18, he won the two top amateur solo piping contests in the world; the George Sheriff Memorial Invitational in Toronto, Canada and the Nicol-Brown Invitational in Albany, NY.
At the professional piping level, Bobby won the Strathspey & Reel competition at the North American Championships at the Glengarry Highland Games in August 2015. He won the Piobaireachd Society (Canada) Gold Medal in 2022, also at the Glengarry Highland Games - one of the top piobaireachd prizes in North America.
Bobby travels to Scotland annually to compete at the two top exclusive solo piping competitions in the world: the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban, and the Northern Meeting in Inverness. He is currently competing at the Silver Medal level; he placed 5th in the Northern Meeting Silver Medal in 2022, and 4th in 2023 in the same contest. Locally in the USA, he has won the following professional prizes: Professional Piper of the Day at the New Hampshire Highland Games, first place in the New Hampshire Highland Games Professional Piobaireachd three times, first place in the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Professional Piobaireachd in 2021, and many other prizes in professional piping contests.
Bobby also played with three top-tier pipe bands. He was a member of the Grade 1 City of Washington Pipe Band from 2007–2010. During that time, he performed with City of Washington at the 2010 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland; he also performed at the White House with CoW for the Presidential St. Patrick’s Day Gala in March 2010. He was a member of the Stuart Highlanders Pipe Band for two years and performed with them at Fenway Park in collaboration with the Massachusetts State Police Pipe Band to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Boston bombing in April 2014.