Highland Arts Festival 2001
Albany, NY

The following letter was published in theVOICE (Spring 2001 issue)

In early September, through the EUSPBA mailing list, I received a posting that kept me on my toes until January! It was an announcement for a Highland Arts Festival, to be held in Albany, NY featuring no less than than the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band (by far, my favorite pipe band).  One of the wonders of Internet is that I was able to read about this event, presented by the Schenectady Pipe Band and the Capital District Scottish Games, although I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Keeping up to date with edge pipebanding and living in Argentina does not result in an easy combination. The band I play in, the St. Andrew's Society of the River Plate Pipe Band, was formed in 1955 and is presumed to be the first pipe band formed beyond the Commonwealth.  Until the late 1980s, the band's source of information was still word-of-mouth traditions that traced back to the 1950s.  I think the trigger for realizing that we were outdated was a recording of the 78th Fraser Highlander's Concert in Ireland that reached our hands.  Shortly after this, July 1990, our band made its first trip to Scotland.  This trip was most enriching, mostly for seeing how pipebanding had evolved, and for updating our equipment.  Nowadays, it's hard to imagine a world without Internet but it was only after the mid 1990s that information became so much more available, regardless of our antipodal location.  Web sites, newsgroups, mailing lists, e-mail, etc are today our main connection to the pipebanding world.

Before this trip to Albany, I had managed to squeeze some lessons at the Piping Centre during a week stay-over in Glasgow in Jan-1999, and took part of both workshops conducted by Bob Worrall in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1999 and 2000.  All these opportunities turned-out to be extremely contributing, and the HAF2001 appeared to be just as perfect!  I confess that I did my best to try and convince my wife that we could to go to NYC for a week or two so that we/I could spend THE week-end in Albany.  Well, this plan didn't work, and I couldn't see myself traveling so far just for a week-end, so I started giving-up hopes about going to the event.  But my wife read a mail Carole Hackett sent just after new year, reminding all on the EUSPBA mailing list of the HAF2001, and started looking for a reasonable way of getting me to Albany.  On my side, I got in touch with Carole, and later Dave Haughey and, in spite of the considerably short notice, they let me inscribe.

After flying to Sao Paulo, connecting flights, flying to JFK, and driving up to Albany, I was finally at the Quality Inn (about 24 hours after stepping out of my home!) on Friday, January 12th.  That night was SFU's opening concert, held at Albany's Palace Theatre.  It was my first time at a grade 1 pipe band concert.  I've got nothing against live recordings (for example Live at Carnegie Hall), but being there is so much more powerful! Besides, one gets to meet the MC all bands wish to have: Neil Dickie, and his uncomparable sense of humor.  The band played an incredibly well ballanced, rich in content, and entertaining performance that night. Including highlights like a multi-arranged Keel Row; a sung-and-later-played piobaireachd; the drum corps' tribute to Alec Duthart; a Celtic touch by Anne Schaad and David MacVittie; the "hot hands" of Jack Lee, Alan Bevan, and Stuart Liddell; and an imposing encore.

Throughout all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, Albany's SAGE College was completely taken-over by pipers and drummers going back and forth with their pipe boxes and drums.  Without going into to details of the lessons I took, I must say that it was the place to be for acquiring in depth information on edge piping, drumming, and pipebanding as a whole.  SFU members were more than willing to share their knowledge and experience, what made the festival so attractive. From what I could see, including myself, the attendants were much impressed with the lessons and the information being transmitted.

Saturday night was the Ceilidh, back at the Quality Inn.  I was used to ceilidhs at which most of what goes on is country dancing.  But this [even better] ceilidh, with a hall full of pipers and drummers, all one hears about is exactly that: pipes, drums and pipebanding! This was the social moment of the week-end, and I got to meet and greet members of local pipe bands, the editors of The Voice, members of the EUSPBA, and many others.  Things just couldn't get better, and SFU marched into a competition formation in center of the hall and gave us more of their talented music.  This time, in comparison to the formal atmosphere at the Palace Theatre, the hall was now roaring with almost uncontrolled enthusiasm.  Once again, an amazing performance.  Shortly after, solo pipers and drummers started a series of improvised demonstrations, including playing for highland dancers and for drummers of other bands willing to play with SFU pipers.  An image I'll never forget, that characterizes the spirit of the night, was of Neil Dickie and Stuart Liddell playing Clumsy Lover while standing on some chairs at the back of the hall.  Although I'm so grateful for having been able to attend the HAF on such a short notice, neither will I forget Dave Haughey's kind gesture of giving me a Schenectady Pipe Band's cap in recognition for coming from so far.

Sunday midday was the wrap-up at the SAGE College's gymnasium.  It was our last chance to ask general questions about SFU, the HAF, etc... again accompanied with Neil Dickie's remarkable sense of humor.  While SFU's pipers were finishing their tuning outside the drummers repeated their tribute to Alec Duthart and, once all inside, the complete pipe band played a few of their phenomenal sets as a farewell.

I must say that the entire week-end was extremely well organized and all went as clock-work (something to highlight when coming from a Latin country!).  I would like to close-off by saying that the HAF2001 was a tremendously valuable experience and that I recommend it to all pipers and drummers, wherever in the world you may be!  Thanks again to the Schenectady Pipe Band, the Capital District Scottish Games and, of course, SFU Pipe Band.

Regards to all readers,

Mike Flight
mflight@infovia.com.ar
P/M St. Andrew's Society of the River Plate Pipe Band