The Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands’ Association is pleased to announce the RSPBA Oceania Solo Drumming Championship will be held at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch on Saturday 29 June 2024.
“This is a huge opportunity for New Zealand and we are incredibly grateful to the RSPBA for granting us the chance to host the first Oceania Solo Drumming Championship,” RNZPBA President Iain Blakeley said.
“We have world-class drummers in New Zealand and around the Pacific. To have a qualifier for the World Solo Drumming Championships right on our doorstep presents an opportunity many of our drummers wouldn’t normally get. It’s another step in supporting the New Zealand pipe band community to reach its full potential.”
The Championships – sponsored by Andante – will be hosted by the RNZPBA and governed under the RSPBA rules. The event will be open to any domestic or international competitors who have attained the age of 18 years as of 1st November 2023. This is a March, Strathspey and Reel (MSR) event where the competitors submit 2 x MSRs at the time of entry. The event will be judged on 1 x MSR drawn immediately before playing at the competition.
The winner will be announced as the RSPBA Oceania Adult Solo Drumming Championship champion, and the first two placings will gain automatic qualification to the 2024 RSPBA World Solo Drumming Championship semi-final. It also is one of the eight events worldwide that makes up the RSPBA Adult Solo Snare Drumming Champion of Champions award.
The RSPBA Oceania Solo Drumming Championship will be held on the same day as the Otautahi Solo Drumming Championship, hosted by the Canterbury Drummers Club at St Andrew’s College.
“Considered one of New Zealand’s premier drumming competitions, we think this partnership presents the perfect opportunity for players from around the world to travel to New Zealand to take in one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most dynamic events,” said Mr Blakeley.
Further details regarding entry and other matters will be published in due course.
