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
Dr. Kenneth Liechti
Dr. Ken Liechti has a deep and long-standing commitment to Scottish Highland piping. He began learning the Great Highland Bagpipe as a youth around 1960 while at Morrison’s Academy in Crieff, where he studied under Willie Donaldson. As a youth, he competed and was Scottish Schools solo champion in 1968, taking instruction in classical piobaireachd from notable teachers including Pipe Major Donald MacLeod while at Glasgow University.
Dr. Liechti moved to Pasadena, California to pursue graduate studies in 1973 and eventually joined the engineering faculty of The University of Texas at Austin. Not long after, he joined the recently formed Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums, becoming the pipe major in 1985. Under his leadership, Silver Thistle participated in regional, national, and international competitions, including multiple trips to the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, and helped establish Austin as a hub for piping in the U.S.
Beyond band activities, Ken has maintained a strong solo piping profile, competing at the Open solo level and teaching both smallpipes and Highland pipes. In addition, Dr. Liechti has been a sought-after judge in the Texas region for many years.