65th Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo sells out for 16th successive year!










An inspiring sight as the 266 strong Massed Pipes and Drums prepare for their final performances on Saturday 23rd August

 

Brigadier David Allfrey, Tattoo Chief Executive and Producer, has every right to be proud of his achievements in creating a wonderful spectacle for Tattoo audiences this year. Highlights included 266 Pipes and Drums from 15 bands, 3 Royal Marines Bands and an amazing fusion between Highland and Maori Dancing.

As usual, every show begins with the heart stopping Massed Pipes and Drums, spilling across the castle drawbridge. The set this year features time honoured favourites "Loch Lomond", Within a Mile o Edinburgh Toon" and "The Gallowa Hills".

This year, the bands comprised:
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Royal Dragoon Guards, The Queen's Royal Hussars, Royal Scots Borderers, Royal Highland Fusilliers, The Black Watch, The Highlanders, The Royal Irish Regiment, The Royal Army of Oman, The Australian Federal Police, The Paris Port Dover Pipe Band from Canada, The Tasmania Police Pipe Band from Western Australia  the Manchester Branch of the Scots Guards Association and first time performers, The Pipers Trail, a new group formed by the Tattoo to enable the wider community in Scotland to play a part in major events.

The whole show was designed to take the audience on a journey across the Commonwealth, visiting Malta, South Africa, Nagaland, Singapore, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago. All of this was achieved through music, song and dance. I particularly enjoyed the New Zealand act as a fusion between Highland and Maori Dancing can be difficult to achieve. However, if anybody can achieve it, then the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo can!

A glorious party to celebrate the return home featured well known favourites such as "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "Hey Baby"! and "Happy" by the well known artist Pharrell Williams. Huge thanks must go to Micheal McDermott, Tattoo Musical Advisor and Lt Col Nick Grace, Principal Director of Music, Royal Marines, for the first class arrangements. To be able to play 10 different musical numbers in such a short space of time is truly remarkable.

I have followed the Tattoo and Producer David Allfrey on social media for over a year now. It is a privilege to see the show gradually coming together as a new act is confirmed. Next year, I am sure, will see some more amazing acts. Our links with the Tattoo continue to grow and I should be attending for a fourth time next year!

I am sure that there is a very bright future for the show and I look forward to following the development of the 2015 show in Edinburgh!

Congratulations on a very successful show, and of course, your 16th successive sell out season!

All best wishes,
Chris Nelson

Pipers Trail to be represented at Edinburgh Castle during Tattoo

 

 

We have just heard the exciting news that the annual Pipers Trail is to be represented in the Massed Pipes and Drums  at this year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo by a group of 25 pipers and drummers, playing alongside icons such as the Classical BRIT Award winning Royal Scots Dragoon Guards as the Tattoo Chief Executive and Producer, Brigadier David Allfrey MBE explains in a report published by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association:

 

For many years, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has drawn the Massed Pipes and Drums from the Armed Services' Pipes and Drums along with invited international Pipe Bands (military and civilian) and some selected schools and colleges.

The prerequisites for attendance have been a smart and soldierly manner (in foot drill and turnout), musical excellence and a commitment to practice and perform across the run (essentially 4 weeks in late-July and August including rehearsals). This year for the first time, we have invited a Regimental Association Pipe Band and we are looking to form a 'house' Pipes and Drums as a pilot for a larger scheme designed to embrace the wider national and international Pipes and Drums community. This scheme will be known as 'The Pipers Trail'.

The Pipers Trail was originally conceived in 2007 as an 'Army in Scotland' campaign to engage with the civil community. Over 4 years the scheme covered the length and breadth of Scotland visiting schools and communities encouraging an interest in the Great Highland Bagpipe, Highland Drumming and Dancing. Now, the project has been taken on by the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo with the same broad intentions but also to enable a wider community to participate in one of the world's greatest celebrations of pipe, drums and military music.

This year - with the support of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, The National Piping Centre, The College of Piping and the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming - we are looking for volunteers to form a Pipers’ Trail file on the Tattoo; one of 15 files on parade. We are looking for up to 25 pipers and drummers who can play to at least Grade 3 standard, with the ability to assimilate the 2014 Pipe and Drum score and take in instruction, before rehearsals. We would also like to open the scheme to select and talented younger players.

The successful candidates will be provided with Full Dress uniform (for the duration of the Tattoo: 28 Jul - 24 Aug 14), instruction in foot drill and the opportunity to join 250 other pipers and drummers as part of the Massed Pipes and Drums - one of the largest cohorts ever to play on the Tattoo. The Band will perform each evening in front of a live audience of 8,800 each evening (220,000 across the run) and on a variety of major 'outreach' events.

This year, we are looking for established players, preferably (but not essentially) from within commuting distance of Edinburgh, to kick start the programme. If this pilot is successful we hope to expand the scheme in coming years to grow a significant 'bank' of suitable pipers and drummers in Scotland and from across the world for future Tattoos and other prestige events.

Email applications (to: piperstrail@edintattoo.co.uk) should be accompanied with a CV and accompanied by any evidence of playing standard. If formal qualifications are unavailable, applicants may provide a reference from a Pipe Major of an established Band. Applications close on 1 Jun 14.

David Allfrey
The Pipers' Trail

 

 

As stated above, anybody who is interested in applying for this unique opportunity should contact the email address above. I am hugely delighted that the Brigadier is providing the members of the Pipers Trail with such an amazing opportunity and I hope that the publication of this post will assist him greatly in seeing that this plan comes to fruition.

 

This would be a fantastic opportunity for our younger generation of pipers and drummers to spend time with the staff at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming and I would urge the aspiring  piper or drummer to give this some serious consideration. You are being presented with an opportunity to prove your talent in the best way possible.

 

For our regular readers, there is due to be another event taking place in Edinburgh around this time and more details will be published as soon as I have received them.

 

On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I wish Brigadier David Allfrey every success with this plan and I hope very much that it proves successful.

 

I look forward to seeing the finished results in August.

 

Best wishes to you all,

Christopher Nelson

 

 

 

 

2014 will be a varied year for all our musical stars

The year ahead looks very exciting for all of the organisation's we are involved with. The City of Rochester Pipe Band are continuing their campaign to find new pipers to boost their ranks for the 2014 season. Congratulations to Stuart, a beginner who under the guidance of Mick Hicks, founder and former Director of Music for the band, has been playing simple tunes for the last few months and is gradually becoming a very competent piper.

Meanwhile, my colleagues at London and South East Region Air Cadet Pipes and Drums also look set for another busy and varied year. Under the joint direction of Flight Lt Dave Law, CI Dorothy Rochester, Major Jim Stout and Captain Brian Elrick, the band are becoming better every time.

In February, the band will be travelling to Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, where they will be performing in an event commemorating Armistice 100. They will also be travelling to Inverness in April to take part in the annual Cadet Beating Retreat.

Huge congratulations are in order for Jodie Melville, who is gradually moving from chanter to pipes, and is able to play basic tunes using a chanter.

We hope that in the future, the band will be taking part in the annual Berlin Tattoo. This will hopefully become a reality for them through a partnership that I am currently forming with Captain Stuart Samson of the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland. Please be aware that this link up is in the planning stages and nothing has been set in stone yet.

Many of you will now know that I am actively involved with former Britain's Got Talent finalist Hollie Steel, now dubbed as one of the finest classical singers in the country. There are many small organisations all over the world who work tirelessly to support Hollie in her career. Ours is the Hollie Steel Project. Run jointly with Grange Park @ Mid Kent College, we maintain contact with the family and assist with event organisation every now and then.

2014 looks set to be another varied year for Hollie with three brand new charity events already in the diary. We will release more information when it becomes available.


We hope you will stay tuned to our blogs for further updates and we look forward to working with these organisation's throughout the coming year.

Kind Regards
Christopher Nelson
Event Organiser and Founder, Hollie Steel Project