Alasdair Gillies (6 December 1963 – 27 August 2011) was a Scottish bagpiper and tutor, and one of the most successful competitive solo players of all time.

Life

Alasdair was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

to parents Norman and Kathleen Gillies and lived there for the first eleven years of his life before moving to Ullapool, a fishing village on the West of Scotland where his father took on the position of piping instructor for the schools in Wester Ross. He received his first lessons from his father, who was also a noted player, and continued to receive tuition from him throughout his career. He joined the

Queen's Own Highlanders The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), officially abbreviated "QO HLDRS," was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was in existence from 1961 to 1994. History 1961–1970 The regiment was f ...

cadets aged 13, and then joined the army to become a full time soldier in 1980. His service took him around the world in both his Piping and Infantry soldiers roles. Studying under Pipe Major John Allan at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

, he gained a distinguished pass on the Pipe Major's course in 1986 where he achieved the Graduate certificate and the Senior Teachers certificate from the Institute of Piping. He also received tuition from Pipe Major Iain Morrison of the Queen's Own Highlanders and Captain Andrew Pitkeathly, formerly director of the Army School of Bagpipe Music. He was made

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 regiment in 1992, and served in the role until the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Highlanders in 1994, making him the last Pipe major of the Queen's Own Highlanders. He then served as the first Pipe major of the amalgamated Highlanders for two years before moving to the Scottish Division, until he left the army in 1997 to teach piping at the

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pipe Band. As well as the Army and Carnegie Mellon University bands he led, Gillies played in a number of bands throughout his life, including the Ullapool & District Pipe Band which had been started by his father, the City of Glasgow Pipe Band, and

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 19 ...

. He died suddenly in 2011 in Ullapool, aged 47, after a period of ill health. With his wife Pauline he had one son, Norman, who is also a competitive piper.

Musical style

Gillies was known for his technical ability, and mastery of March, Strathspey and Reel playing in particular.

Solo prizes

Gillies had a successful career from an early age, placing highly in junior events in major competitions, and throughout his career he won almost every major trophy. He has won both of the Highland Society of London Gold medals, at the

Argyllshire Gathering The Argyllshire Gathering is a Highland games held in Oban, Scotland. History A meeting on 23 August 1871 held at the Argyll Arms Hotel led to a resolution to have an "Annual Gathering of the Gentry of the County of Argyll for social purposes" ...

in 1989 and 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 ...

, for pibroch playing. He has won the Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at the Northern Meeting a record 11 times, and won the overall competition at the Glenfiddich Championship 3 times, with 6 wins in the March, Strathspey and Reel event.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillies, Alasdair 1963 births 2011 deaths Musicians from Glasgow Great Highland bagpipe players Gold Medal winners (bagpipes)