From 28 to 30 August 2026, Vienna Pipes and Drums travelled to the Czech Republic for a weekend filled with piping, drumming, competition and Scottish culture. Having been invited to the Scottish Games at Sychrov several times over the years, we were delighted to return for the 26th edition of the Skotské hry festival – this time with a workshop in Prague adding an extra musical highlight to the weekend.
Workshop
The weekend started on Friday, 28 August, when several of our band members had the opportunity to take part in a workshop with three outstanding musicians from the Scottish piping scene: Finlay McDonald, Ailis Sutherland and Ali Hutton. It was a great opportunity to learn from such accomplished musicians, pick up new ideas and inspiration, and get ready for the weekend ahead.
Scottish Games at Sychrov Castle
On Saturday, we headed to the beautiful grounds of Sychrov Castle for the 26th Scottish Games. We had the pleasure of helping to open the event as part of a Massed Band together with the Czech Rebel Pipers and Blue Squadron Pipe Band – a great way to start a day dedicated to Scottish music and culture.
Later in the day, Vienna Pipes and Drums took to the stage for our own band performance, giving us the chance to present a selection of our repertoire to the festival audience in the impressive castle setting.
Success in the Solo Competition
Several of our members also entered the solo competitions, which were judged by our workshop instructors Finlay, Ailis and Ali.
We were delighted to come away with a fantastic set of results:
- 🥇 Markus Edl – 1st Place, Bass (Drumming)
- 🥇 Julia Wolff – 1st Place, Tenor (Drumming)
- 🥇 Peter Dobiasch – 1st Place, Snare (Drumming)
- 🥇 Peter Dobiasch – 1st Place, March (Piping)
- 🥇 Stefan Linder – 1st Place, MSR (Piping)
- 🥇 Anna Binder – 1st Place, Hornpipe/Jig (Piping)
Congratulations to all our competitors on these excellent results!
The evening programme provided another highlight of the weekend. After learning from them in Friday’s workshop and playing for them in the solo competitions, we got to enjoy our judges on stage: They performed together as the Finlay McDonald Band. Later, they were back on stage once again, joining RURA for another fantastic performance.
A big thank you to the organisers of the Scottish Games at Sychrov for inviting us back and, once again, making us feel so welcome. It is always a pleasure to be part of this special festival, and we look forward to our next visit!
If you want to see us play in Vienna, join us at our 40th Annual Ceilidh on Friday, 6th November – Grab your tickets now!
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