Jori Lance Chisholm (born September 23, 1975) is an American professional bagpipe player and teacher who lives in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Chisholm is a successful solo competitor winning the United States Gold Medal four times and has placed in the top three in Scotland's Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal competition.BagpipeLessons.com
/ref> He played with the six-time Grade One World Champion

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 Uni ...

and was a featured solo performer for the band on multiple occasions. Chisholm has performed in front of sold-out audiences with

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

and with ex-

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

rocker

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

and his band

Ratdog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mix ...

, and has been featured as a soloist or band member on over 20 recordings. His debut solo album Bagpipe Revolution was nominated for Album of the Year by Pipes, Drums magazine.PipesDrums
/ref> He writes the "Sound Technique" column for the

National Piping Centre The National Piping Centre is an institution in Glasgow, Scotland, dedicated to the playing of the bagpipes, to include not only the Great Highland Bagpipes, but also the Scottish smallpipes and Irish uileann pipes, as well as other traditional ...

’s bi-monthly Piping Today Magazine.Piping Today Magazine
/ref> The New York Times featured Chisholm's online teaching program
BagpipeLessons.com
and described him as a "top-tier teacher" in a front-page story about the growth of Skype music lessons.
/ref> A cover story in American Profile Magazine named Chisholm one of the "world's elite pipers.""Jori Chisholm: Bagpipe Virtuoso" American Profile Magazine, March 10, 2013
/ref>

Biography

Raised in a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

-American bilingual household (hence the first name, which is Finnish), Chisholm, together with his siblings, began musical training early, beginning with the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

at the age of four and continuing with that instrument until high school, where he played the

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

and sang various school choirs. With siblings involved in

Highland dancing Highland dance or Highland dancing ( gd, dannsa Gàidhealach) is a style of competitive dancing developed in the Scottish Highlands in the 19th and 20th centuries, in the context of competitions at public events such as the Highland games. It ...

, it was natural for Chisholm to migrate to the bagpipes, taking his first piping lessons at age 11 from a close neighbor and professional piper, Colin MacKenzie, who was the founder of the first American Grade 1 pipe band, the Blue Heron Bay Pipe Band. Early on in his piping career, Chisholm performed exclusively as a soloist since there were few

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of Bagpipes, pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland b ...

s where he grew up (and no pipe bands for youth). In those years, Chisholm attended piping workshops and competitions, as well as making an annual trip to the Coeur d'Alene Piping School in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, where he studied

piobaireachd Pibroch, or is an art music genre associated primarily with the Scottish Highlands that is characterised by extended compositions with a melodic theme and elaborate formal variations. Strictly meaning "piping" in Scottish Gaelic, has for some f ...

under

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 ...

Evan MacRae and Andrew Wright. After graduating from high school, Chisholm enrolled at the

University of Puget Sound The University of Puget Sound (UPS or Puget Sound) is a private university in Tacoma, Washington. The university draws approximately 2,600 students from 44 states and 16 countries. It offers 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional an ...

in Tacoma, Washington. While there, he traveled regularly to

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

to take lessons, progressing to the professional level of piping competition. After graduating from UPS with a degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

in 1997, Chisholm was admitted to the national honorary society,

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. It was the following year that he joined the

. In 2000, Chisholm went on a solo competition tour in Scotland in an attempt to achieve sufficient piping prizes to meet the qualification standards for elite competitions the following year. He succeeded, and was invited to compete at the Argyllshire Gathering at Oban and 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 ...

in Inverness in 2001. In his first year competing at the elite level, he won the Royal Scottish Pipers' Society Bronze Star for 1st Place in the 'A' Marches at the Argyllshire Gathering at Oban and Runner-Up in the Silver Medal Piobaireachd at the Northern Meeting in Inverness. Chisholm continues to compete internationally, taking top prizes in North America and Scotland. His first solo album, Bagpipe Revolution, was released in 2008 and was Runner-Up for the Reader's Choice Recording of the Year award by PipesDrums.

Trivia

Chisholm is the grandson of the famous Finnish fighter ace

Jorma Sarvanto Jorma Kalevi Sarvanto (22 August 1912 – 16 October 1963) was a Finnish Air Force pilot and the foremost Finnish fighter ace of the Winter War. Early life Sarvanto was born and raised in Turku, Finland. He attended high school in Turku and g ...

. Chisholm is a graduate of the

Yamaha Music School The Yamaha Music Foundation is an organization established in 1966 by the authority of the Japanese Ministry of Education for the purpose of promoting music education and music popularization. It continued a program of music classes begun by Yamah ...

Solo Prizes

Cowal Highland Gathering The Cowal Highland Gathering (also known as the Cowal Games) is an annual Highland games held in the Scottish town of Dunoon, on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, over the final weekend in August. History The first record of an organise ...

Open 'A' Piobaireachd (2010) - 1st place (first American two-time winner) * U.S. Gold Medal Piping Championship (2014) - 1st place (first four-time winner) * U.S. Gold Medal Piping Championship (2009) - 1st place (first three-time winner) * U.S. Gold Medal Piping Championship (2008) - 1st place (first two-time winner) *

Open 'A' Piobaireachd (2008) - 1st place (first American winner) * 3rd place in the Gold Medal competition at Oban (2006) * United States Prize Pipe (2005) - 1st place * Inaugural U.S. Gold Medal Piping Championship (2004) - 1st place * Cameron-Gillies Challenge Recital (two-time winner - 2004 and 2005) * B.C. Piper's Association Professional Knock-Out Competition (2004) - 1st place * Western Regional Piping Championships (2004) - 1st place * 4th place in the Gold Medal Piobaireachd competition at Inverness (2003) * Runner-Up in the Silver Medal Piobaireachd at the Northern Meeting in Inverness (2001) * 'A' Marches at Argyllshire Gathering in Oban (2001) - 1st place

Discography

As a soloist

* Bagpipe Revolution (nominated for Album of the Year by Pipes, Drums magazine) * Masters of Scottish Arts - Volume II: Live at Benaroya Hall * Dr. Dan Reid Memorial Challenge Recital 2004 * The 2004 Band Room MASTERS: Recorded Live at the

* The 2004 Band Room MASTERS Piobaireachd: Volume One (DVD) * Winter Storm III: The Pipes and Drums Concert (2004) * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: On Home Ground: Volume One * Winter Storm 2008: The Pipes and Drums Concert * Winter Storm 2009: The Pipes and Drums Concert * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: Affirmation: Live at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

As a band member

* Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: Live from New York City * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: Affirmation: Live at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: On Home Ground: Volume One * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: On Home Ground: Volume Two * Simon Fraser University Pipe Band: Down Under: Live at the Sydney Opera House * Winter Storm 2006: The Pipes and Drums Concert * Winter Storm 2007: The Pipes and Drums Concert * Winter Storm 2008: The Pipes and Drums Concert * Winter Storm 2009: The Pipes and Drums Concert * Winter Storm 2014: The Pipes and Drums Concert * The World Pipe Band Championships: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.

As a producer

* Bagpipe Revolution * Masters of Scottish Arts - Volume II: Live at Benaroya Hall * Masters of Scottish Arts - Volume I

As a composer

* Bagpipe Revolution *

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

Pipe Band: On Home Ground: Volume One * The World Pipe Band Championships: 2005 * Raven: A Soft Wind Blows

With Bob Weir & Ratdog

* RatDog Live: At the Moore Theater in Seattle. February 17, 2007.

References

External links

Jori Chisholm's homepageBagpipe Revolution homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisholm, Jori Great Highland bagpipe players Living people University of Puget Sound alumni 1975 births People from Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego High School alumni