Callum Bevan is fom Abbotsfor British Cloumbia and turned 18 years old in July. He is enrolled in the Chemistry program at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. He began piping at the age of 7 under the tutelage of his parents, Alan and Bonnie Bevan. Callum was a member of the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band for several years, competing at the World Pipe Band Championships with the band in 2017. In September 2019, he was invited to join the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. Competing with the band in all four events at the World Pipe Band Championships this year was a big career highlight. Callum has won the BC Pipers’ Association Grand Aggregate in every level, including the top amateur grade. He won the piobaireachd event at the Nicol-Brown Memorial Invitational contest on his first attempt in 2021, and was a finalist in the MacGregor Memorial, held at the Argyllshire Gathering, in 2021 and 2022. Callum has won the tune writing competition at Piping Hot Summer Drummer and has placed second (to his brother, Alistair) twice. Callum is excited to have been invited to compete at the George Sherriff this year.
Gillian Blaney of Lower Sackville NS, is currently studying Child and Youth Studies at Nova Scotia Community College. At the age of 7, Gillian started playing bagpipes at the Halifax Citadel School of Music and has also been taking lessons from Bruce Gandy since 9 years of age. Currently Gillian is playing with the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band. She had a successful year with piping, placing well at the Halifax Citadel Mini Gatherings, winning the grade One Piobaireachd at the Atlantic Canada Piobaireachd Challenge and has received the ACPBA Champion Supreme awards for both the grade one solo piping and piobaireachd. She is honoured to be invited to the 2022 George Sheriff Invitational.
Cameron Bonar is 14 years old and from Surrey, British Columbia. He was born into a piping and highland dance family with his dad being a piper and his mom and sister, dancers. He started his piping career at the age of 6, working with his dad, Andrew. Since 2017, he has been fortunate to have Jack Lee as his instructor.
Thomas Bruce grew up in Brantford ON. He began bagpipe lessons at the age of 10 with Gord Fyfe with the local Brantford Pipes and Drums. At age 15 he began playing with the Toronto Police Pipe Band (Grade 3), where he came under the tutelage of Micheal Grey. Thomas has lived all over Eastern Ontario and Alberta, playing with many bands including the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, Ottawa Highlanders, and Viscount Park Pipe Band. He currently plays with the Rocky Mountain Pipe Band, based in Calgary, AB. In 2020, he decided to return to solo piping and began studying with Micheal Grey again remotely. Solo prizes include - Ottawa A Grade Knockout Champion - 2016, and the 2022 Grade 1 Solo Aggregate of the Alberta Society of Piping and Drumming.
Professionally, Thomas is a Master Corporal in the Canadian Army. He lives in Northern Alberta with his beloved wife Megan and their Orange Cat "Meow Meow".
Thomas Cangelosi began bagpipes with the CuChullain Pipe Band in Morris County, NJ, receiving instruction from PM AJ McCann and Todd Ferrie. A Highland Arts Scholarship brought him to Monmouth College to teach and play pipes in their pipe band. In 2015 he joined the MacMillan Pipe Band and has been serving as Pipe Sergeant since 2019. Thomas’ solo teacher and mentor is Jim Stack.
This past year Thomas won the Amateur Piobaireachd at the Dunedin Highland Games, Chicago Scottish Festival and Grandfather Mountain Games. He currently resides in Arlington, VA and enjoys hiking, paddleboarding and teaching piping.
Kayleigh Johnstone is an 18 year old, first year university student, studying Criminology. She began piping at the age of seven. She has been taught by her grandfather, Reay Mackay and her mother, Glenna Mackay-Johnstone. In addition to piping, she has played piano with the Royal Conservatory Music Program for nine years.
Some proud piping moments include: 2022 Champion Supreme Grade 1 Piobaireachd, 2022 Amateur Piper of the day at Maxville Highland Games, 2019 Winner of the Balmoral Classic, 2019 Metro Cup - 2nd place in MSR, 2019 Winner of the MSRHJ -Grade 1 Winter Storm - Kansas City, 2018 Winner of the MSR - Grade 2 Winter Storm - Kansas City and in 2017 The JT MacKenzie Youngest 1st place piper at Maxville.
Henry Paluch is a first-year student at the University of Toronto studying Physics and is a member of the St. Andrew's College Association Pipe Band. He also enjoys composing, and works for the sheet music website, pipetunes.ca, as a tune recorder. Henry started playing bagpipes at the age of ten while he attended St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario. He was the Pipe Major of the school's pipe band for three years, under the direction of Jim McGillivray and Matt MacIsaac.
Henry has competed in the PPBSO for the past seven years, receiving tutelage from Jim McGillivray. In the 2022 PPBSO Highland Games season, he was the amateur piper of the day at the Georgetown and Cobourg Highland Games. Henry was also the winner of the 2021 PPBSO Toronto Branch Knockout Final, and additionally, he came second in the 2020 MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd Competition at the Argyllshire Gathering.
Mason Parsons began his piping journey in 1997 with High Desert Pipes & Drums of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He played with the band until 2007, serving as Pipe Sergeant for the last several years, and competing in solos sporadically throughout the southwestern US. He then went on to join the LA Scots, competing with the band at the Worlds in 2010 and 2011.
Subsequently, Mason spent many years away from competitive piping while raising two young children and attending graduate school. He returned to the piping scene in 2019 with Queen City Pipe Band of Denver, Colorado, and delved back into solo competition later that year. He decided to finally take up piobaireachd in 2020, competing in that discipline for the first time via the online Carnegie Mellon contest. This year, Mason joined the Silicon Valley Pipe Band, returned to in-person solos, and began receiving tuition from Nick Hudson. Highlights of the season included winning the grade 1 aggregate award at Costa Mesa and the piobaireachd event at Pleasanton.
Mason works as a statistician in Albuquerque. His kids are now 10 and 7 years old and are indifferent at best toward the bagpipes.
Will attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Arts (BA) in music composition and a separate BA in advertising. He currently lives in Durham, North Carolina and plays with the MacMillan Pipe Band, based in Washington, D.C.
This year, Will placed highly at several competitions, including winning the Grade One March, Strathspey, and Reel at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and the Virginia Scottish Games, the Grade One Piobaireachd at the Virginia Scottish Games, and the Senior Amateur Piobaireachd at the Glengarry Highland Games.
Michael Trenor began piping at 6 years of age. Starting with The Shamrock Club of Columbus he began his instruction with Bob Ryan and David Gettinby. Upon entering the solo competition scene he joined the Capital City Pipe Band and furthered his instruction under David Daye and Noel Slagle. Michael quickly rose through the ranks during the 1980’s before taking time off to travel.