NEWS – February 14, 2010
Colleen Bonamico Chosen to Receive the 2010 Pipe Major
Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Piping Scholarship
The Pipes of Christmas is pleased to announce that Colleen Bonamico of West Babylon, NY has been chosen as the 2010 recipient of the Pipe Major Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Piping Scholarship. Bonamico, who plays with the Saffron United Pipe Band will study bagpipe performance this February with the National Piping Centre of Glasgow, Scotland.
The annual scholarship has been designated for the Centre’s US-based piping workshop program in Babylon, New York. Each year the Centre offers three one week workshops with leading instructors. The workshops take place in New York, California, and Georgia.
The Centre’s daily program covers all aspects of performance including practice routines, technique, musical expression, tuning and ensemble playing. Students will be taught in a small group of similar ability for 3-4 hours per day. The remaining time is used for productive practice.
“Like Kevin Blandford before her, the 11-year old Colleen Bonamico is part of an up and coming generation of pipers that will ensure the perpetuation of our Highland Heritage”, said Robert Currie, executive producer of the Pipes of Christmas.
Colleen’s mother Patricia Bonamico noticed an immediate difference in her piping abilities after enrolling in the program. “When I heard about the New York School, I signed her up. I wasn’t really sure how she would feel about giving up her vacation from school to attend but she was looking forward to going. She came home after the first day more excited and enthusiastic than I ever imagined. She loved the school, the instructors, and the group she was placed in! She couldn’t stop talking about her day.
There was a definite improvement in her skills by the end of the week, plus she had learned several new songs. The school was such a positive experience for her that she is planning on going to Scotland to study when she’s older. I’ve been told by her instructor that she’s a natural. She has a love for the pipes that is written all over her face when she plays.”
Commenting on her introduction to the pipes, Patricia said, “Colleen is an Irish Step Dancer. When leaving dance one night the pipe band handed out flyers about lessons being offered for pipes and drums. She wanted to try the tenor drums. She took lessons for a while but wasn’t all that thrilled with it. Not being a quitter, she kept with it until the end of the school year and had decided to take a break during the summer and then try the pipes in September of 2008.”
Bonamico continued, “When we informed Saffron, she was told that she didn’t need to wait and could start on the pipes right away. Well, the following week she had her first chanter lesson and has been hooked ever since! I find her chanter all over the house because she picks up it and plays whenever the mood strikes. In November of 2009, she was presented with her first set of pipes and is looking forward to joining Saffron in parades and competitions.”
About Pipe Major Kevin Ray Blandford
Kevin Blandford (1963 – 2003) was already in love with music when he became infatuated with the bagpipes at 14. That infatuation grew much deeper, to the point where he became one of the most influential pipers in the United States, teaching dozens of students in California, composing original pieces, and performing the now classic Pipes of Christmas concert produced by the Clan Currie Society since 1999 in New York and New Jersey and the Society’s annual Kirking of the Tartans service from 1995 – 1998.
Blandford’s performances of the Pipes of Christmas quickly became an annual event, while Blandford’s recording of the same name originally made in the early 1990s have sold out several printings.
He had served as Pipe Major of the R.P. Blandford & Son Pipe Band since 1988. Kevin was also the president of the Western United States Pipe Band Association (WUSPBA) for several years. He lost his battle to cancer on November 26, 2003. He was only 40 years old.
About The National Piping Centre
The National Piping Centre (Patron HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, KG, KT, GCB) was founded in 1996 and is located in Glasgow, Scotland. The Centre is dedicated to preserving the history and music of the Highland bagpipe and to safeguarding its future. The school serves as a national and international centre of excellence for the instrument and its music and promotes a program of education and piping tuition at all levels.
The National Piping Centre provides facilities of the very highest quality for both the piping and non-piping fraternity. The Centre also houses the Museum of Piping, which contains the National Museum of Scotland’s Piping Collection. In addition, the Centre has a library and audio resource, which together with the museum, offers students a wealth of archival information.
The Centre also is dedicated to the performance of Scottish Smallpipes, Uilleann Pipes, Fiddle, Accordion and Drumming. To learn more about the Centre, visit their website at www.thepipingcentre.co.uk