Faye Henderson is a bagpipe player from Scotland. In 2010, she became one of the youngest ever winners of a

Highland Society of London The Highland Society of London is a charity registered in England and Wales, with "the view of establishing and supporting schools in the Highlands and in the Northern parts of Great Britain, for relieving distressed Highlanders at a distance from ...

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

, as well as the first ever female winner.

Life

Henderson was born in

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'' ( gd, An Ceathramh Mòr; IPA: nˈkʰʲɛɾəvmoːɾ, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. It reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it is thought to have been a major ecclesiastical ...

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

, to parents who are both prominent solo players. Her father Murray Henderson is one of the most successful solo competitors of all time, and has won the clasp (for former winners) 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 ...

six times, in four different decades. He has also won the

Bratach Gorm The Bratach Gorm (or Blue Banner) is the highest prize given by the Scottish Piping Society of London and was introduced in 1938. History In 1994 the competition pool was further reduced in protest at the selection of judges. The competition has ...

five times, and the Glenfiddich Piping Championship four times. Faye's mother Patricia Henderson has placed in Gold Medal competitions, and was among the first women to break into the male-dominated piping scene. Henderson received lessons from an early age from both her parents, and was a successful solo competitor from a young age. Her sister Fiona is an accomplished fiddler, having also competed at the Glennfiddich Championships for fiddling. She plays Strathmore bagpipes, designed by her father.

Solo career

In 2010, won the

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" ...

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, th ...

, becoming the first woman to win the award either in Oban or at the

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

. Aged 18, she also became one of the youngest ever winners of a Gold Medal, playing "Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay". The youngest winner in history is

John D. Burgess John Davie Burgess (11 March 1934 – 29 June 2005) was an eminent Scottish bagpipe player. Life He was born in Aberdeen on 11 March 1934, and first learned to play the practice chanter at the age of four from his father John, who was also a ...

who won both Gold medals aged 16, but a lower age limit put in place on competitors means that this record cannot currently be broken. By winning the Gold Medal, she became the first woman to qualify for the Glenfiddich Piping Championship in 20 years, since Amy Garson became the first woman to play at the event in 1988. Henderson also became the youngest ever competitor in the history of the competition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Faye Living people Great Highland bagpipe players Year of birth missing (living people) Gold Medal winners (bagpipes)