Jeremy Kingsbury is the acting president of the Lowland & Border Pipers’ Society and the host of Wetootwaag’s Bagpipe and History Podcast. Jeremy began piping with a local pipe band in Milwaukee when he was 9, but immediately fell out of love with pipe bands and competition and into love with a variety of pipes and piping styles (thanks in large part to Laura MacKenzie and other Minnesota-native Dick Henshold’s recordings). Jeremy spent 14 years as a park ranger talking about and demonstrating music that would have been listened to by 18th century Scottish fur traders on Lake Superior. This interest in 18th century music led to Kingsbury’s enthusiastic embracing of tunes from the Lowlands and Borders played on Border pipes, Scottish smallpipes and uilleann pipes.
Often Isolated from other pipers, in 2006 Jeremy began his bagpipe and history podcast to foster some sense of community with other people interested in historic piping. The podcast is approaching its 200th episode since relaunching in 2020 where he has played through and discussed the history of thousands of different settings of tunes from Scotland, England and Ireland. Jeremy has a PhD in History and teaches Early American History, Indigenous Studies and Gender Studies at the University of North Dakota.
Minnesota is a great place for another Pipers’ Gathering, with so many gifted musicians and Jeremy echoes MacKenzie’s gratitude for Russell’s part in helping a local scene take shape!
Laura MacKenzie first learned piping on a practice chanter in the company of Pipe Major George Stoddart, in a wee room at the bottom of a Lawnmarket “close” off the Royal Mile, Edinburgh. PM Stoddart was the original “Lone Piper” at Edinburgh Castle’s annual Tattoo and held that prized position for many years. Laura was introduced to PM Stoddart by Captain John A. MacClellan, whom she had met working in the archives of the School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh as a student intern. Deeply grateful for PM Stoddart’s kind, generous and thoughtful instruction, after a year or two back home Laura realized she wished for a more sociable type of instrument. She heard Hamish Moore in the late 80’s at a festival in the Orkneys playing one of his early models of smallpipes and was smitten. Laura has been playing Hamish Moore smallpipes ever since, having learned from Hamish and other smallpipe players around Scotland and in the USA. During the latter part of the twentieth century, Laura was quite involved in the Lowland & Border Piper’s Society, attending collogues and even playing in their informal competitions. One year she was given 2nd place in “Piping and Singing”, despite the song being Irish! Since then, Laura has taught Scottish smallpipes (plus English pipes, French and Galician piping repertoire, wooden flute, whistle, and singing with smallpipes) at many Pipers’ Gatherings back east, and has always hoped for more players in Minnesota. MacKenzie would like to thank Russell Lane for founding the Minnesota Branch of the Lowland & Border Pipers Society and getting our own “pipers’ gathering” off the ground!
For MacKenzie’s portion of the workshops on November 8th at the Center for Irish Music:
We’ll introduce the Scottish smallpipes, address beginners’ questions, do an overview of bellows technique, talk about and demonstrate ornaments and phrasing, and learn a Lowland tune or two together. This workshop will be based on smallpipes in A. Join us with your instrument or come if you are just interested!
