Stuart Liddell MBE (born 12 January 1973) is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...

player. As well as competing in solo competitions, he is the

Pipe major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

of the Inveraray and District Pipe Band.

Early life

He was born in

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, t ...

on 12 January 1973 and spent his early years in Inveroran, near

Bridge of Orchy Bridge of Orchy ( gd, Drochaid Urchaidh) is a village in Glen Orchy in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is named after the crossing over the River Orchy, which was constructed by British Army during the pacification of the Highland Clans followin ...

. His father Billy was an accomplished musician, as is his mother Agnes, and his grandfather was Ronnie McCallum, piper to the

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful ...

and a prominent piping tutor. At the age of four the family moved to

Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town ...

in Dumfriesshire where Stuart went to school. The family moved to

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...

, his mother's home town, in 1983.

Band history

For ten years (1998–2008), he played with the

Simon Fraser University Pipe Band The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band is a grade one pipe band affiliated with Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It is led by pipe major Alan Bevan and leading drummer J. Reid Maxwell. History The Simon Fraser Unive ...

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. With the SFU Pipe band he won three

World Pipe Band Championship The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition held in Glasgow, Scotland. The World Pipe Band Championships as we currently know them have been staged since 1947 although the Grade 1 Pipe Band Competition winners at the annual Cowal ...

titles, in 1999, 2001, and 2008. Before joining the SFU Pipe Band, he played with

ScottishPower Pipe Band The ScottishPower Pipe Band, is a Grade 1 pipe band sponsored by the international energy company ScottishPower. History Formed in 1969 as the British Caledonian Airways Pipe Band, the band won the World Pipe Band Championships (Grade 2) in 1 ...

. Liddell lives in

and is

of the Grade 1 Inveraray & District Pipe Band, which he founded in 2003. Stuart Liddell has won the

World Pipe Band Championships The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition held in Glasgow, Scotland. The World Pipe Band Championships as we currently know them have been staged since 1947 although the Grade 1 Pipe Band Competition winners at the annual Cowal ...

as Pipe major of Inveraray & District Pipe Band in 2017 and 2019.

Solo Prizes

Liddell has won many of the top awards in solo piping, including the Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering (2000), the Gold Medal at the

Northern Meeting The Northern Meeting is a gathering held in Inverness, Scotland, best known for its solo bagpiping competition in September. History The Northern Meeting was set up in 1798 "for the purpose of promoting a Social Intercourse", and early editions f ...

(2004), the former winner's Clasp at the Northern Meeting (2007 & 2009), the Bratach Gorm at the Scottish Piping Society of London (2009) and He has won the Glenfiddich Piping Championship three times: 2009, 2014 and 2020. In 2023, Liddell was made a

Member of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in King Charles III’s first-ever New Year’s Honours. He is known for his fast playing and innovative arrangements of piping standards.

Recordings

In 2007, Liddell released his first solo recording, ''Inveroran''. He has also appeared on several recordings of

, with solo tracks on many discs, including: * 1997 Piping Centre Recital Series Vol.2 * Scottish Power Pipe Band – Tartan Weave * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band – Live at Carnegie Hall * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band - Down Under * Awesome Pipers - 2004 * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band – On Home Ground * Inveroran

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liddell, Stuart Great Highland bagpipe players People from Oban Living people Gold Medal winners (bagpipes) Scottish bagpipe players 1973 births