Vienna Pipes support Andre Rieu in Concert

Craig Parker

On 3rd June, Vienna Pipes and Drums together with our friends the Caledonian Pipes and Drums Burgenland performed in the Stadthalle Wien in support of the world-famous Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra. It was an incredible experience for the band, playing to a crowd of almost 10,000 in a sold-out Stadthalle. We accompanied the Orchestra and their own highly accomplished piper Manoe Konings in performances of the well-known tunes Amazing Grace and Highland Cathedral. We had a great time and hopefully we made a few new fans in the audience. Dank u wel Maestro!

Burns Supper 2018 next Saturday 27th January

Graeme Hood

We are looking forward to entertaining you at our 7th annual Vienna Pipes Burns Supper on Saturday 27th January! Thanks to all the enthusiasts who snapped up the tickets so quickly.

As always we’ll have plenty of entertainment on offer. The pipe band will open the evening with a short performance at 20:00. Then we’ll have the traditional recitations of Burns’ poem “Address to a Haggis” before the haggis supper is served courtesy of the band’s own chef, Christian Holl. The Immortal Memory will be followed by a capella singing by the group Morning Dew, a performance of Irish Dance by the Shamrock Dance Company, and Ceilidh music from our old friends the Alastair band, led by violinist Alastair Edwards from the Shetland Islands.

All money raised from this event helps the band cover the costs of tuition, instruments, and equipment, including our teaching program for young learners. Many thanks to our sponsors who have generously donated raffle prizes: Bobby’s Foodstore, Potstill Whisky Store, House of Scotland, Dobibrennda distillery, and Karl Müllner. The first prize is a rare bottle of 19 year old Glenmorangie whisky,  offered by Mr Colin Campbell of Vienna International School fame and Graeme Hood, founding member of the Vienna Pipes and Drums. Rainer Dobiasch, another founding member of the band distills his own Apfelschnapps under the name of “Dobibrennda” which you can also win if you purchase enough raffle tickets.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

20th Anniversary Concert

Craig Parker

On 9th September 2017 we celebrated 20 years of the Vienna Pipes and Drums with a grand concert and ceilidh. Thanks to all our guests and performers for making it a truly memorable night, including dance band The Ceilidh Mafia, singer Monika Froehler, acapella group Morning Dew, members of Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band, and our wonderful MC Dominique Reitinger.

It was a bittersweet night for the band as this was also the farewell concert for our Pipe Major Gavin Law, who after leading the band for many years is returning to Scotland.  We have Gavin to thank for the band’s competition success, our many popular fundraising events, and our ongoing children’s teaching programme. We look forward to building on his legacy over the next 20 years! Here are a few memories of the night.

World Pipe Band Championships 2017 Results

Craig Parker 1 Comment

On 12th August 2017 Vienna Pipes and Drums qualified for the World Pipe Band Championships Grade 4B Final in Glasgow, where we were up against almost 60 other pipe bands from around the world. We came 2nd out of of 19 bands in our qualifying heat, and then managed a respectable 11th place out of 18 finalists. This was our second trip to the Worlds and we were very happy to qualify for the final for the first time. We plan to return in 2019 when we hope to pick up a prize. There is also a video of our final performance.

North Berwick and Bridge of Allan 2017 Competition Results

Craig Parker

On 5th and 6th August 2017 Vienna Pipes and Drums competed in the Grade 4B Pipe Band competitions at the North Berwick and Bridge of Allan Highland Games. Despite the wet and windy conditions the band played well at their first competitions of the year, achieving 6th place overall in North Berwick and  a 4th place prize in Bridge of Allan.

Here is the RSPBA video of our performance at North Berwick. Our tunes are The McKenzie Highlanders, Campbell’s Farewell to Redcastle, 72nds Farewell to Aberdeen, and The Piper’s Cave. We went on to compete the following week at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

The 9th Austrian Piping and Drumming Summer School

Graeme Hood

Band members are slowly recovering from a great night at the closing night’s concert in Burg Kreuzen, Niederösterreich. Several band members spent the whole week there, receiving top class tuition from some of the world’s best players and teachers: Willie McCallum, Stuart Liddell, John Angus Smith, Andreas Hambsch, Maik Reckziegel & Mark Wilson.

Vienna Pipes and Drums performed several sets on the castle esplanade just as a thunder and lightning storm broke. We were under a tent and the rain was warm though, which will probably not be the case in Scotland this summer when we compete in North Berwick, Bridge of Allan and Glasgow.

Our youngest member, Jake Beck, won the prize for the most improved player.

The Summer School was organised by Nina, Sylvia and Stephan – congratulation on yet another a well-run event! Looking forward to number 10!

Massed Bands from beginners to professionals
View from the Burg just before the thunder clouds rolled in
Summer School Participants

St Patrick’s Day in the Rain

Graeme Hood

We had a busy and wet weekend with a parade on Friday around some Irish pubs in the centre of Vienna (wet with craft beer and rain), and then on the official embassy-organised parade on Saturday from Yppenplatz to the Ottakringer Brauerei in the wind and rain.

We did this with 5 new members who have never marched with us in public before, and that in the wind and rain – great practice for Scotland this summer!

The rest of the day was spent in an Irish pub watching Scotland thrash Italy and Ireland thrash England in the 6 nations rugby championships. The cherry on the cake of a great weekend.