News Archive

05/29/07 - I've extended the deadline for the BagpipeLessons.com iPod Giveaway to June 10. Check out the contest details.

05/18/07 - I've added ten more Tune Lesson Downloads to the library. That brings the total to 50 of the greatest tunes ever composed for the bagpipe available for instant download! Check them out!

05/02/07 - The BagpipeLessons.com iPod has arrived! Check out a few photos of the little blue beauty you can win! You have until the end of the month to get entered for the drawing. Here are the details.

04/28/07 - I've added three new videos and created a new Photos page. Also, I've updated my schedule of upcoming performances, including information about when I'll be teaching at The National Piping Centre Monterey Bay School of Piping and Drumming.

04/27/07 - To celebrate our successul first year of Tune Lesson Downloads, we're giving away a special blue BagpipeLessons.com iPod Shuffle. For more info, check out the Tune Lesson Downloads page.

04/12/07 - I've added six more tracks from my recordings. Check them out right here or on the Recordings page. There's also a new video clip from my appearance with the SFU Pipe Band on Nodo-jiman, a Japanese karaoke gameshow!

03/28/07 - I've added a brief video messsage to the Tune Lesson Downloads page, it describes the Tunes and the download process. Check it out!

03/08/07 - I've added ten more Tune Lesson Downloads to the library. That brings the total to 40 tunes! Check out the new tunes!

02/19/07 - On Saturday night I peformed with legendary ex-Grateful Dead rocker Bob Weir and RatDog in Seattle as part of RatDog's West coast tour. What a thrill! I've created a special page with info, photos, and videos from this historic night!

02/05/07 - I've added a new feature to my site: free video lessons. Check them out!

01/08/07 - Check out the BagpipeLessons.com pages at YouTube, Flickr, MySpace, and Facebook. Use the buttons to the left!

01/01/07 - Best wishes for a happy 2007 filled with lots of piping! I've added a whole bunch of photos to my new Flickr Photos Page.

Year 2006...

11/26/06 - I've added ten more tunes added to the Downloadable Tune Lesson Library. That brings the total to thirty! Download them individually or get them all. Check out the list of new tunes available for download.

11/25/06 - Gift Certificates are here! Get one for a friend or send this link to someone as a gift-giving hint! Check it out!

11/23/06 - I've added a link to my interview in the BBC documentary on the 2006 World Pipe Band Championships on the videos page.

11/20/06 - I've added a new page of Performance Videos. Some of it is new, some goes back a few years. Check them out!

10/01/06 - I'm happy to announce ten more tunes added to the Downloadable Tune Lesson Library. There's a good variety of tunes and there's something for everyone! Check out the list of new tunes available for download.

09/26/06 - I am interviewed in the BBC documentary about the 2006 World Pipe Band Championships that was filmed in August 2006. To watch video clips from the film, check out the BBC website.

09/23/04 - What a great summer it was! I competed at all the local Highland Games and had a super trip to Scotland. I played in several competitions and won some big prizes. Here's the list of prizes I won. The band placed second at the World Pipe Band Championships.

05/30/06 - I'm excited to announce the newest feature to the site: Downloadable Tune Lessons. These lessons are the first of their kind anywhere -- a complete learning solution for pipers of all ability levels. Check out the list of tunes available for download.

05/29/06 - Thank you to everyone who came out to The Bagpipe Concert at last weekend's Northwest Folklife Festival. It was a huge success. Watch a video clip from my performance on the Videos page.

05/01/06 - I will be performing at Northwest Folklife Festival on May 27, 2006. Folklife is one of the largest free folk music festivals in the world, with over 220,000 people attending. I will be playing in The Bagpipe Show from 7-10 pm, which also includes Asturian Bagpipe Legend Xuacu Amieva.

04/30/06 - I will be competing with some of the world's best pipers this weekend at the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Invitational held in San Francisco. Other pipers invited are: William McCallum, Jack Lee, Roddy MacLeod, Stuart Liddell, Angus MacColl, Simon Marshall, and Glenn Brown.

04/11/06 - I just returned home from Traverse City, Michigan for the Great Lakes Superior Piping Challenge. I had the opportunity to perform in the big concert with bodhran (Irish drum) player Mark Currie of the band MacCrimmon's Revenge of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Listen to an mp3 recording of our set. I only just met Mark earlier that day and we had less than half an hour to put together and rehearse our set, but it turned out brilliantly! I'm playing a set of John Walsh A-2000 Small Pipes

04/03/06 - I've added a video clip of me playing the piobaireachd Mary's Praise at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Watch the video.

03/22/06 - This video clip is so hilarious I had to share it. It is from the Friends episode where Ross (David Schwimmer) attempts to play the bagpipes. Can you guess the tune that he's playing? Watch the video.

03/16/06 - Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! I will be the official piper for the Irish Heritage Club of Seattle on their annual Laying of the Green Stripe, which marks the path of Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade through downtown Seattle. You might be able to catch a glimpse of it on your late local TV news tomorrow night!

02/25/06 - I've added a couple of video clips to my Videos page: A solo concert performance from last year's sold out concerts in Kirkland and a promotional trailer from hy-pe.tv in 2002.

02/23/06 - I've updated my Performance schedule for the rest of this year.

02/15/06 - I've been getting some nice press lately. Check out these four recent articles.

• In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's review of the Masters of Scottish Arts Concert:
  
  "The performers were astonishing, the playing superb... it was good to see Seattle piper Jori Chisholm in the lineup."


• In Piper and Drummer Online's review of the SFU Pipe Band CD "On Home Ground":
  
  "Another excellent album from one of the best pipe bands ever to have graced us with their music... Solos from Jori Chisholm...underline the quality of player this band attracts... the playing is excellent..."


• In an article in Scotland's Sunday Times about Scotland-related content on the web:
  
  "With just a webcam mounted on top of your computer...Chisholm promises that he can teach the mysteries of grace notes and chanter control..."


• My profile in Arches, the magazine for my alma mater University of Puget Sound:
  
  "Maybe you didn't know him personally, but if your Puget Sound college days overlapped with Jori Chisholm's, you probably knew of him -- Chisholm was famous..."

02/10/06 - Thanks to everyone who came out and saw me perform with The Chieftains at Benaroya Hall and also at the Masters of Scottish Arts Concert. What a great week!

01/30/06 - I will be on performing on live television this Thursday, February 2 at 4:00 pm on Seattle's KOMO TV 4. I'm appearing on the news program "First News @ 4" with Kathi Goertzen to promote this Friday's Masters of Scottish Arts concert.

01/26/06 - The radio interview on KUOW's "The Beat" went great today! If you missed it you can listen to this mp3 file of the interview or visit the KUOW site for an archive of the entire show.

01/24/06 - I've got a busy couple of weeks coming up performing almost everywhere around Seattle:

• On the radio: Thursday, Jan. 26 at 2pm on "The Beat" on 94.1 KUOW Seattle's NPR Station.


• With the SFU Pipe Band: on Friday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 pm for the annual Robert Burns Dinner & Concert in Mount Vernon.


• With The Chieftains: on Tuesday, Jan 31. at Seattle's world-renowned Benaroya Hall.


• LIVE on television: Thursday, Feb. 2 at 4 pm on Seattle's KOMO TV 4's "First News @ 4" with Kathi Goertzen.


• In the Masters Concert: With some of the world's greatest pipers and drummers on Friday, Feb. 3 at Benaroya Hall. The concert will include pipers Alasdair Gillies, Roddy MacLeod, Jack Lee, Bruce Gandy, John Wilson, Murray Henderson, and Gavin Stoddart. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Year 2005...

12/20/05 - I've written an article called Using Technology to Learn the Pipes. It gives a details about Long Distance Lessons, including the use of video chat and mp3 based lessons.

12/17/05 - I'm honored to have been invited back to compete with some of the world's top pipers at the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Cameron-Gillies Challenge Recital to be held in San Francisco on May 6, 2006. I won this event the last two years in a row. Tickets and information are available at the official site. The CD recording from last year's DRM should be out very soon!

09/26/05 - I will be performing solo at the Kirkland Performance Center next month, as part of the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band: LIVE concert. Last year's concerts sold out on all three nights. Get your tickets from the Kirkland Performance Center or directly from the band.

09/23/05 - I have updated my list of prizes with all the results from this year's competitions in North America and Scotland.

08/05/05 - It has been a busy summer! The local piping competition season is now over and I'm headed to Scotland for the World Pipe Band Championships and several solo competitions, including the Gold Medal at Oban and Inverness and the International Masters Invitational. Results as they are available should be posted at Piper and Drummer Online.

08/01/05 - The new CD is out! On Home Ground: Volume One is one of the most exciting pipe band recordings ever released. In addition to to the pipe band tracks, I have my own solo track and I lead an ensemble on the Scottish Small Pipes. Find out more details on my Recordings page or go direct to sfupipeband.com to buy it for yourself!

06/20/05 - I will be performing live in concert with the SFU Pipe Band. The band will be recording a new CD at three concerts held on June 30, July 1 and July 2 at SFU Performing Arts Theater on Main SFU Campus. Visit sfupipeband.com for more information, tickets, and to pre-order an autographed copy of the new CD "On Home Ground: Volume One." All three shows are expected to sell out. We will be playing some of the most exciting and innovative pipe band music ever. Don't miss it!

04/18/05 - I won the Cameron-Gillies Recital Challenge at the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Invitational in San Francisco. The competition was recorded and should be released within a few months. Photographs and detailed results are here.

04/11/05 - I'm back from the first-ever Great Lakes Superior Piping Challenge held last weekend in Traverse City, Michigan. I won first prize overall: The United States Prize Pipe. Full results are at Piper and Drummer Online. Here's a photo of the pipes and here's a close-up.

03/09/05 - This weekend marks the beginning of a busy spring competition season. Saturday is the BC Pipers Association Knock Out Final. March 25-26 is the BC Pipers Annual Gathering -- the biggest competition of the year on our local circuit. For more info on these two events, visit the BC Pipers site. April 8-9, I'll be in Traverse City, Michigan for the first-ever Great Lakes Superior Piping Challenge which will draw top pipers from across North America. April 16 will take me to San Francisco for my return to the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Challenge Recital.

01/19/05 - Masters of Scottish Arts - Volume II: Live at Benaroya Hall was released today! This is my fourth CD release in just the past year. I play on five tracks (one solo and four with others). Other musicians on this stellar recording are pipers Alasdair Gillies, Mike Cusack, Willie McCallum, Jack Lee, Roddy MacLeod, Bruce Gandy and John Wilson, drummers Jim Kilpatrick, Tyler Fry and Kathryn Tawse, and fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Calum MacKinnon. I also co-produced the CD. Please visit my Recordings page for more info and where to order it.

01/10/05 - Best wishes for 2005! This year looks to be even more exciting than the last. Here are a few photos from 2004.

Year 2004...

11/29/04 - Another new CD is out! It's my third recording this year. Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Challenge Recital 2004 was recorded live at one of the world's most prestigious invitational piping events held each spring in San Fransisco. I have two tracks on the CD and other the other pipers featured are Willie McCallum, Jack Lee, Roddy MacLeod, Ian K. MacDonald, and Iain Speirs. Check out my Recordings page for more info and where to order it.

11/25/04 - I've updated my complete list of competition results with all prizes I won in North America and Scotland in 2004.

11/07/04 - Here is a brief interview of me published on bagpipes.co.uk.

11/06/04 - The new CD is out! The Band Room MASTERS features the March, Strathspey, and Reel solo competition performances from the first-ever Band Room Masters Invitational International Piping Championship recorded live at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow. In addition to my track, the pipers on the CD are Willie McCallum, Jack Lee, Gordon Walker, Angus MacColl, Chris Armstrong, Iain Speirs, and Bruce Gandy. Visit my Recordings page for how to order it.

11/05/04 - Next up is the B.C. Pipers Association Professional Knock Out. I've drawn a spot in the second round, December 11, at the Vancouver Scottish Cultural Centre.

10/25/04 - The show at the Kirkland Performance Centre was a big success: sold out on all three nights. I'll be back there next year.

10/20/04 - I've returned San Diego with three first prizes at the G.S. McLennan Invitational Piping Competition the P/M Angus MacDonald Western Regional Championship. View the full results and photos from the McLennan and the MacDonald. Here is excerpt recording of my winning tune Beloved Scotland.

09/23/04 - The G.S. McLennan Invitational Piping Competition will be held in San Diego, CA on the weekend of October 15-17. I will be competing against the other Gold Medal winners from around the globe (Canada, New Zealand, France, and Scotland). Visit Bydand.com for more information.

09/20/04 - I'll be teaching a piping class for beginners starting in October. The course will run for eight weeks and is open to beginners of any age level. Download the flyer (pdf). Or check out this page for all the details.

09/16/04 - I will be performing solo at the Kirkland Performance Centre next month, as part of the Keith Highlanders Presents: A Celtic Celebration concert. Go here for more information and tickets.

09/12/04 - I'm back from Scotland! I played in several competitions and won some great prizes. The band placed second at the World Pipe Band Championships. Check out the detailed results.

07/12/04 - I'm back from a great week at Piping Hot Summer Drummer. Some pictures are here.

05/14/04 - I've given compiled some comments I've received from my students and past clients. Read what they have say on the new Testimonials page.

05/08/04 - I've added a page with all of my Recordings and details on where to order them.

05/07/04 - Check out the all new Learn the Pipes page. It has information on individual lessons, lessons by tape, and interactive video internet lessons. I have also added a calendar of my upcoming performances on the new Performances page.

05/05/04 - I'm back from sunny Finland! I had a great time performing in Kauhava and Lappajarvi for enthusiastic crowds. It was wonderful to see my friends at the Folk Music Department at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy. Photos coming soon.

03/30/04 - Just got back from San Francisco and the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Festival of Piping. I won all three events in the Cameron-Gillies Recital Challenge. Full results are here. This upcoming weekend is the SFU Pipe Band Highland Arts Festival and concert.

03/19/04 - More good news. Last weekend was the Final Round of the B.C. Pipers Association Professional Knock Out Competition. It was a night of some great piping, and I won! Read more about it at Piper and Drummer Online. Next up, the Cameron-Gillies Championship in San Francisco.

02/10/04 - Thank you, Seattle! The concert at Benaroya Hall was a big success. Over 2,200 people packed the hall to witness some amazing piping, drumming, and fiddling. Read a review of the concert here. It was a thrill to play on such a tremendous stage. The audience response was amazing. Here's a picture.

And here's some more pictures from the concert in Kansas City in January. Here's me warming up, performing, and enjoying the moment.

01/29/04 - I'm honored to have been invited to compete with some of the world's top pipers at the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Challenge Recital to be held in San Francisco on March 27, 2004. I will be competing for Cameron-Gillies Championship. Tickets and information are available at the official site.

01/21/04 - I will be making my debut at Seattle's Benroya Hall on Friday February 6th as part of the Masters of Scottish Arts Concert. The concert features some of the worlds greatest pipers, drummers, fiddlers, and Highland dancers -- from faculty of the Mastery of Scottish Arts Winter School. Go here to get your tickets. Read the press release.

01/19/04 - We did it! Last weekend in Kansas City I won the first-ever United States Gold Medal Piping Championship. Thanks to all my students, friends, and family for your support. I couldn't have done it without you! Read about it on Piper & Drummer. Here's a photo of me competing and some more of the prizewinners.

Year 2003...

12/18/03 - Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2004! It's been a busy and productive autumn. We have many things to look forward to next year. Here are some pictures from 2003.

Upcoming events include the U.S. Gold Medal Competition in January, the annual MSA Winter School in February, and the return of the SFU Pipe Band Highland Arts Festival in March.

I'm very excited to be able to offer interactive bagpipe lessons using real-time video and audio across the internet. I've been testing out my new setup and I will be starting lessons after the new year. Send me a message if you want more information. Happy New Year!

09/18/03 - I was profiled by Celtic Heritage Magazine last summer as a part of their Pipers of North America series. You can read the article online here.

09/15/03 - I'm back from Scotland! The World Pipe Band Championships were held on August 16 in Glasgow and the band placed Third. The complete results are here. I also competed at several solo competitions and won some prizes, including Fourth at the Gold Medal Piobaireachd at the Northern Meeting at Inverness. Check out my Prizes page for the details.

08/04/03 - The local competition season is now finished. The results for the entire season are added up and I won the B.C. Pipers Association Grand Aggregate for Professional Solo Piping. A photo of the winners is here.

Next, I'm off to Scotland for the World Pipe Band Championships on August 16 and the solo competition circuit, including the Gold Medal at Oban and Inverness.

05/29/03 - Check out the review of the recent concert at Toronto's Massey Hall on Piper & Drummer Online. The summer competition season is now under way. See you at the Games!

Year 2002...

10/15/02 - I'm back! It's been a busy and productive summer. The band placed second at the World Pipe Band Championships. Full results of my solo competitions held locally and in Scotland are available here.

05/05/02 - I recently wrote an article about techniques for improving your 2/4 march playing. I hope it will be the first of many more like it. Check it out on the Resources page.

04/22/02 - Thank you, Australia!  I've just returned from a sensational trip Down Under. The workshops and recitals were a success. Photos and audio coming soon. Video will be available from hy-pe.tv Bagpipe Broadcasting. Here's a newspaper article.

04/02/02 - Last weekend was the B.C. Pipers' Association Annual Gathering. I picked up a few nice prizes, including the MacCrimmon Memorial Cairn for the Open Piobaireachd, the Overall Prize in the Open Class, and the trophy for Highest Points Overall.

Read the article at Piper & Drummer Online. Check out the full results and a photo (with piping judge Mike Rogers).

03/28/02 - There's a new review of the Glasgow concert. This one is from Iain McInnes of BBC's Pipeline. Read it here.

03/27/02 - Just got home from overseas and two smashing concerts with the band in Belfast and Glasgow. Both shows were sold-out. Thanks to everyone who came out! Read the review of the Glasgow show on Piper & Drummer Online.

03/11/02 - Yesterday, the band performed a sell-out concert at Vancouver's Vogue Theater. Read the full review of the concert at Piper & Drummer Online. The show kicks off the band's three-concert tour. Next up, Belfast and Glasgow.

02/03/02 - Some of the world's greatest pipers are coming to town! Mike Cusack, Alasdair Gillies, Jack Lee, Bill Livingstone, Willie McCallum, and Roddy MacLeod will perform at Benaroya Hall on Friday February 8th. Tickets available from Mastery of Scottish Arts.

01/15/01 - The band will be performing at Vancouver's Vogue Theatre on Sunday afternoon March, 10. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.ca. You can still get tickets for the UK shows from The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Belfast Waterfront Hall.

01/01/02 - Happy New Year! May this year bring you peace, prosperity, and lots of great piping.

Year 2001...

12/31/01 - Great news from Piper & Drummer Online, who named the SFU Pipe Band as Band of the Year for 2001. Also, the band's latest CD was named Pipe Band Recording of the Year. Read the full story.

12/27/01 - I recently came up with this new exercise for thumb gracenotes. Check it out on the Downloads page. I hope you'll use it.

11/26/01 - The band's new recording, SFU Pipe Band: Live at the Sydney Opera House, was rated 4 out of 5 five gracenotes from Piper and Drummer Magazine. Read the full review.

11/09/01 - Tickets for the band's concerts in the U.K. in March 2002 are now available online from The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Belfast Waterfront Hall.

10/19/01 - The band has announced two concerts in the spring: Belfast, Nothern Ireland on Saturday, March 23 and Glasgow, Scotland on Monday, March 25. Have a look at the new poster.

09/28/01 - I kept a journal of my trip to Australia and New Zealand with the band. Read it and see some photos on the Resources page.

09/16/01 - I'm mentioned in London Times articles about the world's two most prestigious piping competitions: The Northern Meeting in Inverness and The Argyllshire Gathering in Oban.

09/11/01 - A dark day in the history of the world. Live each day to its fullest.

09/10/01 - I'm back from a great trip to Scotland. The band captured the World Pipe Band Championships held in Glasgow on August 11. I competed at several solo competitions and picked up some prizes. Check out my updated biography for full details.

07/21/01 - SFU Pipe Band: Down Under has been released. Get your copy today from sfupipeband.com

07/12/01 - The new CD will be released on July 21. Have a look at the front and back cover.

06/15/01 - I came up with my own Crunluath Exercise a few years ago. I'm sharing it for the first time on the Downloads page. Perhaps you'll find it useful.

05/11/01 - SFU Pipe Band: Live at the Sydney Opera House will be released by the end of June. In the meantime, check out this photo.

05/02/01 - Read the review of the Sydney Opera House concert on Piper and Drummer Online.

04/28/01 - I'm back from a fantastic trip to New Zealand and Australia with the SFU Pipe Band. We performed concerts in Christchurch, Melbourne, and Sydney. The band competed at the Australian Pipe Band Championships and won. I kept a journal of the trip and excerpts from it will be published in an upcoming issue of The Piping Times.

03/30/01 - Download video and audio files from the final round of the B.C. Piper's Association Knock Out Competition here. The video clip shows me playing The Clan MacColl, a classic 2/4 March by John MacColl. The audio file has me playing a couple jigs: The Duck by Donald MacLeod and Three Amigos by Chris Armstrong.

03/26/01 - Yesterday, we performed for a packed house of over 1,460 people at the Orpheum Theater. In two weeks, the concert will be recorded live at the Sydney Opera House. Autographed copies of the CD are available by pre-ordering from the band's website.

03/25/01 - The brochure for Piping Hot Summer Drummer is now available here. I'll be teaching there from July 1-6 along with P/M Terry Lee, Jack Lee, Alan Bevan and other members of the SFU Pipe Band.

03/20/01 - This weekend is the SFU Pipe Band Highland Arts Festival, with piping classes, workshops, and performances. On Sunday March 25, 2001, we will be performing a full concert at Vancouver's Orpheum Theater. Be there!

02/25/01 - Who is the world's most famous piper? Make your guess and then click here.

02/14/01 - Find out more about the SFU Pipe Band's upcoming tour of New Zealand and Australia. Jack Lee describes the tour as "probably the most expensive trip ever undertaken by a non-military pipe band with a budget well into six figures." Article by Piper and Drummer Online.

02/10/01 - The Masters Concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle last night was a smash! The playing was astonishing and the acoustics were incredible. Tonight, I'm headed North for the B.C. Pipers Professional Knock Out Semi-Finals in Vancouver, B.C.

01/29/01 - Six of the world's greatest pipers are coming to Seattle for the Mastery of Scottish Arts Winter School, February 6-11. The concert will feature Ian McLellan, Alasdair Gillies, Roddy MacLeod, Bill Livingstone, Jack Lee, and Mike Cusack. It will be held Friday, February 9 at Benaroya Hall. Don't miss it!

01/15/01 - The festival in Albany was grand. The concert and courses were all well-attended. See you all again soon!

01/09/01 - Headed to frosty Albany, New York with the band for a Friday night concert and a weekend of teaching classes and workshops. Check out the festival website.

Year 2000...

12/18/00 - Pipes and Japanese Taiko Drums? That's right. Katadrone was a success. Thanks to everyone who came out for the show.

12/11/00 - Check out the new Downloads page for complete printable indexes of the tunes in P/M Donald MacLeod's Books 1-6 and P/M Willie Ross's Books 1-5. There are also indexes of the tunes sorted by tune type.

12/04/00 - I'll be teaching at the week long Piping Hot Summer Drummer school. It will be held July 1-6, 2001 in Vernon, B.C. Other instructors will include Jack Lee, Alan Bevan, and other pipers and drummers from the SFU Pipe Band.

11/10/00 - I'll be performing at the Kirkland Performance Center tonight and tomorrow.

11/09/00 - I've added the Questions & Answers page. Look here for many frequently asked questions about bagpipes, lessons, and more. I'll be posting the answers soon.

11/03/00 - No musical talent? No problem. Researchers authoritatively debunk the talent myth. Success requires hard work, encouragement, and a good teacher. Read the articles in the Resources page.

10/27/00 - My piping biography is now up-to-date, with results of my trip to Scotland this past August.

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