It was a great honor for Vienna Pipes and Drums Pipe Band to perform at the 17. Bundeskongress der GÖD (the Austrian Public Service Union) today. More than 1,000 participants including high-ranking political and business representatives take part at this federal congress, which is held every five years.
Last weekend we enjoyed a great evening of music and laughter with friends from all across the Austrian piping and drumming scene as the Caledonian Pipes and Drums, Burgenland celebrated their fifth anniversary! Here are some pictures from that event in Steinbrunn. Congratulations to CPADB for putting on such a great event!
On the 27th August 2016, 7 members of the band made a long road trip to Sychrov in the north of the Czech Republic to perform at the Sychrov Highland Games 2016. The Sychrov games are held in the grounds of the spectacular Sychrov castle, and are apparently the largest European highland games held outside Scotland. The Vienna Pipes and Drums last performed at the Sychrov games in 2007 and a return to sample the excellent Czech hospitality and beer was long overdue. Thanks to the organiser Václav Rout for the invitation, and to our new friends in the Bohemian Pipe Band who we played alongside in the massed bands.
It was a great privilege to participate in the open-air music festival Donauinselfest again this year. We hope you all enjoyed the performance and the dances!
We were proud to be invited to play for the annual tasting of the new wines at Winzerhof Scheit in Karnabrunn this weekend. This was our final dress rehearsal for the competition in Peine, Germany next weekend.
Great wine, beautiful Spring colours in the countryside, a warm sunny day with cloudless skies…. and bagpipe music. What could be better?
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.