Iain MacHarg and the Catamount Pipe Band at Chandler Jan. 27

Babpiper Ian MacHarg has been a frequent and welcome visitor at Chandler Music Hall in Randolph. He brings talented friends with him, too.

An evening of Scottish Highland music will come to Chandler Music Hall when Iain MacHarg and the Catamount Pipe Band perform there Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Iain MacHarg is one of the region’s leading highland bagpipe players whose reputation as a teacher and performer has gained widespread acclaim. He is well-known to Chandler’s New World Festival audiences and has also been a highlight in past Randolph Fourth of July parades. He was a founder of the Celtic bands Whiskey Before Breakfast and Prydein.

MaHarg has been playing bagpipes since he was six years old. His repertoire includes tunes in the traditional Scottish, Cape Bretton, Irish, Breton and French styles. He has received numerous awards within the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, including the 2001 Season Championship.

In 1998, MacHarg and a small group of dedicated Vermont pipers came together with an idea and a dream. The goal of this group was to create a pipe band based on musical excellence. The original five pipers worked together to expand the group and to transform a piping club into a band. The death of one of the band’s founding members, Cyrus McQueen, put plans on hold.

In late 1999, MacHarg gathered approximately 10 of his interested students and proposed the idea of forming a piping group in central Vermont. This idea was met with great enthusiasm and before long the ranks of dedicated participants had grown. 

Using traditional "Yankee ingenuity," the group searched out practice spaces, which ranged from MacHarg’s front lawn to the local senior center. The group continued to grow and develop, but it wasn’t until the winter of 2000 that the group officially became a band when drummers were added under the direction of Andrew Adams.  

The name Catamount Pipe Band was chosen to honor the wild life and spirit of Vermont. On recommendation of MacHarg as the new Pipe Major, Ithe Hume tartan was selected as the official band tartan. In the band’s short history, it has earned the distinction of being the 2004 New England Champion Pipe Band, and the 2005 Northeast Champion Pipe Band.

The evening at Chandler will feature solo and ensemble performances by MacHarg and members of the band on pipes and other Celtic instruments. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Chandler Box Office at 728-6464.

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