Vienna Pipes and Drums once again joined the celebration of St Patrick’s Day in Vienna that took place on Saturday the 19th of March. The band marched from the Schottenstift to the Stiegl Ambulanz in the Altes AKH. Thanks to the organizers and our band supporters for making the day so enjoyable.
Saturday 23rd of January 2016 marked our 5th Vienna Pipes and Drums Burns Night, held once again at the Pfarrhalle St. Florian. Guests were entertained with the music and poetry of Scotland’s national poet, along with performances by the pipe band and some of our musical friends. The Ceilidh band Alastair, led by Shetland fiddler Alastair Edwards, kept the dancing going late into the night. Our band chef Christian Holl served up an excellent haggis supper, and Graeme Hood delivered an Immortal Memory of the Bard that gave guests the chance to win a few drams from the wide whisky selection at the bar. We were especially honoured this year to have ORF “Science Buster” and Director of the Vienna Planetarium Werner Gruber deliver an entertaining and sometimes explosive lecture on the science of sound.
A big thank you to everyone who attended and made the event such a great success. The money raised from this event helps the band cover the costs of tuition, instruments, and equipment, including our teaching program for young learners.
Thanks to our sponsors for their generous support of the event: Ammersin, Bobby’s Foodstore, Brauunion Österreich, Britwurst, Dobibrennda distillery, and Potstill.
Here is a short video with some of the highlights of the evening:
Vienna Pipes and Drums gave a performance at the opening ceremony of the International Atomic Energy Agency Staff Association Ball. The IAEA Staff Association Ball is an annual charitable event and one of the most prestigious events of the Vienna Ball Season.
We will be playing at the annual St Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday 19th March. The parade leaves the Schottenkirche on the Freyung at 11:45 and ends up in a beer tent in the Altes AKH. The parade will be led by a solo Irish piper and Vienna Pipes bring up the rear after the Irish Setters and other attractions.
A great family day out guaranteed!
See the official Facebook event here.
Saturday 28th November was a busy day for many of us – playing in the morning at the annual United Nations Womens Guild Bazaar. This charity event takes place every year in the Austria Centre. Delicacies from around the globe are available, served by people in their national costume. The kilts and bagpipes always go down well next to the British stall with their extensive range of whiskies.
The ceilidh (a Gaelic word meaning “gathering”, pronounced caylay) in the evening took place as always (for the last 32 years) in the Vienna International School. The full band played a couple of sets. The dancing was great, the ceilidh band from Scotland with Sileas Sinclair on accordion, Sarah Sinclair on guitar and Hugh MacCallum on drums, were terrific, the whisky selection just perfect, all leading to a superb evening. CU there next year, same time (roughly) and same place.
The first event in 2016 will be our annual Burns Supper at Saturday, 23rd of January 2016. The location will be the same as in the recent years: Hall of the Parish St. Florian, 1040 Wien, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 97.
We will celebrate the scottish bard Robert Burns with some pipe music, immortal memory, address to a haggis, followed by ceilidh dancing.
Saturday 23rd of January 2016
In the Hall of the Parish St. Florian, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 97, A-1040 Wien
Tickets can be ordered via www.viennapipes.com/extern/tickets.php. Create a free account there to login and issue a ticket request. After approval you will be asked to transfer the price to our account. After the payment you will receive an email informing you that the tickets are ready for download from this website.
The price for one ticket will be 25 Euro. It includes the entrance fee, as well as a portion of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties.
Opposed to the years before seats/tables will be assigned in the order of ticket purchase.
Scottish dress is appreciated but not mandatory.
Sorry no, your dogs will have to stay at home.
The event is a complete no-smoking event.
Yes, vegetarian haggis will be available on request.
It is with great sadness that we report the sudden death of Alfred Schreyer, band member for 10 years.
Alfred died unexpectedly on Thursday 12th November at home. The band played at his graveside as he was laid to rest on Friday 27th November. He will be sadly missed by all of us.
To celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the band we have updated our website, adding information in both German and English as well as a calendar of our upcoming events. The new site should also work a lot better if you are browsing on your mobile phone.
The band is running a free teaching programme for young people who want to learn to play the Scottish bagpipes or drums. Sign up now!
August 2015 was our third time competing in Scotland, and our first time at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. In addition to competing at the Worlds, the band also played in minor competitions in North Berwick and Perth.
This year the band was joined by pipers from two other Austrian bands: Hannah and Tom from the Caledonian Pipes and Drums in Burgenland, and Benny from the Red Eagle Tyrolean band. Geza Frank, one of the best pipers in the Austrian and German piping scene also stepped up to the line with us. Thanks to all of them for their commitment and for making this a truly Austrian first at the World championships!
The band took 3rd place in Grade 4B in North Berwick, the first time we’ve made the prize list in Scotland. This was followed by a 5th place in Perth Grade 4 the following day, possibly explained by the celebrations the night before.
At the World Championships in Glasgow we played well in our qualifying round, with the pipers being rated 4th out of 18 bands. Despite this we unfortunately did not qualify for the Grade 4B finals. However the feedback from the judges and the audience was very good, and we are looking forward to trying again for a place in the finals in 2017.
Competing at the Worlds was a fantastic experience, and we were very proud to see the Austrian flag flying for the first time above the main arena in Glasgow Green. Many thanks to all our supporters from Austria and Scotland who came to cheer us on – see you there again in 2017!
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