The 2026 Invitational Players
Erin Bell
Greg Bowen
Olivia Corcoran
Erin Bell grew up in Lunenburg, Ontario, and began learning the bagpipes at age 8 at the Glengarry School of Piping and Drumming in Maxville. She was fortunate to study under many great instructors at the school, including Ross May, and to take weekly lessons with Rob Wilson. Their guidance and instruction played a formative role in her piping journey. At age 10, she joined the Glengarry Pipe Band. Erin took a break from solo competitions and the band while attending Queen’s University, where she pursued a double major in ComputerScience and Drama and played with the Queen’s University Pipe Band.
After graduating in 2014, Erin took on the role of Pipe Major for the Glengarry Grade 5 band, now Grade 4, which she continues to lead today.
Erin returned to the solo circuit in 2024. In 2025, she won the Ottawa Branch ‘A’ Division Knockouts. This past year, she won the Ottawa Branch Amateur Piobaireachd Contest and was named Amateur Piper of the Day at the North Lanark Highland Games. She currently studies under Alan Bevan.
Erin lives in Ottawa with her partner, Shawn, and their dog, Ruffles. She works as a software developer and is an avid outdoorsperson. She is excited and honoured to have been invited to the 2026 George Sherriff Invitational.
Greg began piping in the early 2000s under the instruction of Bruce and Adam Annandale, and currently studies with Michael Grey. Piping has long been a family tradition, which sparked his early interest and continues to inspire his playing today.
He recently completed his 4th year competing with the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, and this is his second season competing in Grade 1. It's been a strong season on the solo circuit — he was the winner of the Prairie Piping Invitational, and named Amateur Piper of the Day at the Hamilton, Northumberland, and Kincardine Highland Games, as well as at the North American Championships in Maxville.
Away from the games, Greg works as an IT Engineer specializing in identity and security. He enjoys fishing, tinkering with smart home automation, and spending time with his partner Taylor - a tenor drummer - and their two cats, Charlie and Tula, at their home in Waterloo, Ontario.
Olivia is from Gaithersburg, Maryland and began her piping journey at age 10 in the Rockville High School Pipe Band (now the Maryland Youth Pipe Band) under the tutelage of Paula Glendinning. Paula remains one of Olivia's most influential mentors, providing exceptional musical instruction, steadfast guidance, and an inspiring example of excellence as a respected woman in piping. Her mentorship has played a defining role in shaping Olivia's growth as both a musician and educator.
Outside of her career as a civil engineer, Olivia directs the University of Mary Washington Eagle Pipe Band in Fredericksburg, Virginia, plays in the MacMillan Pipe Band, and enjoys performing with The Washington Tattoo.
Her recent prizes include the 2026 US Piping Foundation overall amateur champion, and overall winner of CLASP Grade 1 Piping Live! in Glasgow, Scotland.
Logan Gorsuch
Logan Gorsuch is from Auburn, California and he's 19 years old and began piping at the age of 10 with his instructor, Ian Whitelaw. Logan joined City of Angels Pipe Band in Los Angeles, California when he was 14 and competed with the band two years later in Grade 3B at the 2024 World Pipe Band Championships.
He began solo competing 4 years ago, and was the Grade 4 and 3 Western US grand aggregate winner in his first two competition seasons. Logan received a mid-season upgrade from Grade 2 to 1 in 2025 and earned 4th overall at the Balmoral Classic Invitational that same year. In 2026 Logan has won the Piobaireachd and aggregate for the BC Pipers' Annual Gathering, the Piobaireachd at the US Piping Foundation and the CLASP Live Online competitions, received second in the MSR and Piobaireachd at the World Amateur Solo Piping Competition for Piping Live, and is the current Grade 1 aggregate winner of the Western United States Pipe Band Association.
Outside of piping, Logan studies History, and before moving to Auburn he worked at his local library archives. He loves to travel and spend time with his family.
Liam Horne
Liam Horne began piping at the age of 12 and is from Wise, Virginia.
He won piper of the day at the 2026 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and competed at the Sheriff Memorial last year.
Liam is currently under the tutelage of Nick Hudson.
Outside of piping, Liam is in his senior year of college completing his bachelor's degree in mathematics at UVA-Wise. He hopes to continue his education in math to a doctorate level and teach college.
Abby Long
Abby has been playing the bagpipes for eight years. She started with the St. Thomas Espiscopal School band before continuing with private lessons from Nick Hudson and Mike Cusack. In 2025, she took the overall prize in grade one at Winter Storm, the USPF, and the George Sherriff Competition. This year, she joined the St. Thomas Alumni Band and played with them at the Chicago Highland Games, Perth and the World Pipe Band Championships.
In her 2026 solo competitions, she placed second in the grade one MSR at Winter Storm, won the overall at the Chicago Highland games, and made it through to the final of the MacGregor Memorial in Scotland. In her free time, she is busy studying kinesiology at Texas A&M University. She also enjoys working out and spending time with her family and two terriers in Houston.
Jack Martin
Jack has been playing bagpipes for the last decade, under several different bands, and instructors. Most recently, he has joined the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.
Jack is also an accomplished solo competitor, winning multiple aggregates across the West Coast, and is notably a two-time BCPA Annual Gathering Aggregate winner in Grade One.
Born and raised in BC, Jack currently lives on Pender Island, where he serves as a Volunteer Fire Fighter, a certified First Responder, and works part-time as a certified forklift operator.
Hazen Metro
Hazen hails from the town of Williston, Vermont. He began playing the bagpipes at 14, studying under Iain MacHarg. At 18 he moved to Glasgow, Scotland to attend the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he earned a BA with Honours in Scottish Music (Piping). His piping studies there were primarily under Allan MacDonald and Gavin Stoddart.
Since returning to Vermont in 2013, Hazen has taught piping, performed with a number of small folk projects and played with the Catamount Pipe Band. He currently plays flute and border pipe with the band Cantrip. He serves on the board of the Vermont Institute of Celtic Arts and is the pipe sergeant for the Catamount Pipe Band. In his professional life he works for the online gardening company American Meadows as their Senior Manager of Data. He lives in Williamstown, Vermont, with his wife Katelyn and their menagerie of animals on their small farm.
He took a long hiatus from solo piping, and returned in 2024 and since has won the piobaireachd at Maxville in 2024, and 2026, the CLASP worlds competitions in 2025, and has won piper of the day in 2026 at Dunedin, Capital District Indoor, Capital District Outdoor, Glasgowlands, Quechee, and Altamont games.
Colin Richdale
Colin is 19 years old and began piping at the age of seven. He played in the White Spot Pipe Band growing up and is now an instructor with the band. He has taken lessons from Hal Senyk since he was nine and has recently started taking lessons from Craig Sutherland as well. He has competed with the Grade 2 Cascadia Pipe Band at the World Pipe Band Championships in 2025 and 2026. Colin won the 2026 BCPA Grade 1 Grand Aggregate and Grade 1 Piobaireachd Grand Aggregate, winning solo prizes across British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Additionally, he was the runner-up at the 2025 Nicol-Brown Invitational; earned 3rd place in the Grade 1 MSR at Kansas City Winter Storm 2026; competed at Pipe Idol 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland; and was the Grade 1 Aggregate champion at the Victoria, Portland, British Columbia, and Penticton Highland Games in 2026. Outside of piping, Colin studies Political Science at college and works part-time as a sales associate.
Brady Webb
Brady is from Westville, Nova Scotia and began piping at a young age under the direction of Madelyn Evans-Langlois and Scott Williams and now receives instruction from Alex Gandy. He is also a member of the Grade 2 Dartmouth & District Pipe Band.
Brady has competed across Canada and internationally. His recent achievements include being named Overall Grade 1 Aggregate Winner at the CLASP Live Online Competition, Overall Grade 1 Winner at the Halifax Citadel Mini-Gatherings, Grade 1 Winner at the Atlantic Canada Piobaireachd Challenge in both MSR and Piobaireachd, Moncton Highland Games Piper of the Day, and Antigonish Highland Games Grade 1 Piper of the Games.
Outside of piping, Brady is a teacher and enjoys golfing, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends.