2026 Summer School

Tutors

INTERNATIONAL PIPING TUTOR

P/M Stuart Liddell MBE

One of the most gifted pipers in the world today, Stuart Liddell has won three Clasps at Inverness, the Senior Piobaireachd at Oban five times, both Gold Medals, is a three-time Glenfiddich Piping Champion and has won the Donald MacLeod Memorial in 2016 and, most recently, The Springbank Invitational in Campbeltown 2023.

Stuart is founder and Pipe Major of the Inveraray & District Pipe Band, winners of the World Pipe Band Championship in 2017, 2019 and 2024 in Grade 1. Previously he was a member of the Scottish Power Pipe Band for seven years thereafter joining the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band from Vancouver, Canada with whom he played for ten years.

A piano tuner by trade, he is also a piping instructor at Mid Argyll Primary and Lochgilphead High Schools.

INTERNATIONAL DRUMMING TUTOR

Leading Drummer Steven McWhirter

Steven McWhirter is a native of Northern Ireland and now resides in Falkirk, Scotland with his wife Grace and children, Harry and Maggie. He is the Lead drummer of 2024 world pipe band champions, Inveraray and District pipe band and is twelve time, and current, Adult World Solo Drumming Championships.

Steven teaches drumming full time at The Edinburgh Academy and Falkirk Schools authority.

Steven began drumming in 1993 at the age of ten, with initial lessons from his father, Dessie. Steven joined his local Cullybackey Pipe Band in 1994, receiving snare instruction from Adrian Hoy until 2001. Steven played with the SFU Pipe Band from Vancouver, Canada, from 2002-2008, winning the World championships both as a band and drum corps. 2008 saw Steven assume the role of leading drummer of the Inveraray and District Pipe Band.

The band and drum corps have become a regular feature of the prize list, winning the World Championship titles in 2017, 2019 and 2024.

Domestic tutors

PIPING

Stuart Easton

Stuart Easton is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s most distinguished solo pipers and is among the select few who have established a professional career in piping. He has won every major solo piping award in New Zealand and Australia multiple times and has also achieved outstanding success in Scotland and France.

Stuart serves as a senior adjudicator on the New Zealand Judging Panel for both solo piping and pipe bands. He is deeply involved in teaching and mentoring throughout New Zealand and Australia, including at the RNZPBA Summer Schools, and as a principal tutor for Commun na Piobaireachd. Additionally, Stuart Easton is the director of the National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand.

PIPING

Piers Dover

Piers has played with Canterbury Caledonian Grade 1 Pipe Band since 2015. Since then he has risen through the ranks and was appointed Pipe Major earlier this year. During his time with the band, Piers has won eight New Zealand national titles. He also competed with Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band for the most recent season where he won the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton and the International Quartet Competition as well as being runner up at the European Championships at Perth and the World Championships in Glasgow. 

PIPING

Stewart McKenzie

Stewart McKenzie – a piping powerhouse with deep roots in Palmerston North and a global footprint in the piping world. A three-time NZ Champion, NZ Gold Medal winner, and five-time Claidhmor title holder, Stewart’s solo career is as stacked as his band resumé. He’s led the Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band as Pipe Major for 26 years, earning multiple national and international titles, and has even produced two studio albums featuring his own compositions. Off the stage, he’s a mentor, judge, city planner, and proud dad to Kyle – himself a young piper in the making.
PIPING

Hamish Hepburn

Hamish Hepburn is a Scottish bagpiper and flute player from Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands. Beginning his musical journey on the fiddle before switching to pipes at age nine, he studied traditional music at Lews Castle College on Benbecula and is deeply influenced by Gaelic culture and his time in the Outer Hebrides.

He was a founding member of the award-winning band Eabhal, with whom he recorded two albums with and toured internationally for over a decade.

Hamish is a previous member of the Glasgow Skye Association grade one pipe band, he now plays with the Christchurch-based Canterbury Caledonian pipe band.

PIPING

Torrey Gilchrist

Torrey works as a primary school teacher in the Nelson/Tasman region and has a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning. In the piping world, he coordinates and tutors the Celtic Pipe Band Learner Programme (2020-present) including group teaching of learners from scratch through their first three years. He also moonlights as a private bagpipe tutor. He is the Piper Major of Celtic Pipe Band Grade 4a competition band, and plays up to the Celtic Pipe Band Grade 2.

PIPING

Graeme Bryce

Graeme hails from the village of Falkland in Fife, Scotland but moved to New Zealand in January 2012. Graeme has played with top Grade 1 pipe bands across the world including Lomond and Clyde (2019), Inveraray and District (2016), Canterbury Caledonian (2012 – 2016), Peel Regional Police (2011), Strathclyde Police (2009/2010), the 78th Fraser Highlanders (2007/2008), the Vale of Atholl (2006), Dysart and Dundonald (1998 – 2006).

Graeme has also enjoyed some solo piping success over the years in Scotland and New Zealand. He has also had fantastic opportunities to develop an ear for bagpipe sound with Lomond and Clyde, Strathclyde Police, Peel Regional Police, St Andrew’s College and Canterbury Caledonian Society G1.

PIPING

Meleana Eade

Meleana started her piping journey with Horowhenua Pipe Band age 10 before moving onto the John Haig band under the guidance of Vern Andrews. She started playing with Hamilton Caledonian when she moved to Auckland to join the Navy, where she was the ship’s piper on HMNZS Canterbury. Meleana has been teaching the pipes privately and in Hamilton schools for the last 20 years and in that time helped form the Lewis Turrell Memorial Trust whose aim is to offer quality tuition, promote all things piping and have a competing juvenile band. Meleana is currently in her 9th season of being Pipe Major of Hamilton Caledonian, in which time the band has won 4 national championships and has just performed their 7th annual Pipe Works concert. She also had the opportunity to play with Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band grade 1 at the Worlds in 2023 alongside her 2 children Ishbel and Seumas.

PIPING

Liam Kernaghan

Liam started piping at the age 10 with the John McGlashan College Pipe Band, before moving to the City of Dunedin Pipe Band and then the Canterbury Caledonian Society Pipe Band. Between 2017 and 2019, Liam was the Pipe Sergeant of the Canterbury band, and returned in 2025 to play. One of New Zealand’s prominent solo competitors, Liam has won almost everything there is to win in New Zealand multiple times. In Scotland, Liam has won the B Marches at Oban and in 2025 placed 4th in the A Grade MSR at the Northern Meetings. Not sticking to just traditional competition, Liam was runner up to Brendon Eade at the 2024 MacCrimmon Trophy at Lorient. In his ‘spare’ time, Liam is also the President of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands’ Association.

PIPING

Allan McKenzie

Allan started learning the bagpipes in Oamaru some 46 years ago at the age of 12!

Over the last 46 years, Allan has performed with some great pipe bands with many highlights of championships and great friendships – including travelling overseas to compete at the World Pipe Championships with the Canterbury Caledonian Society Pipe Band.

Allan has been involved with band management and leadership, and currently serves as a William Boyle Memorial Foundation Trustee – a great trust to help promote piping and create initiatives to support that outcome in New Zealand.

Allan judges at all levels of solo piping and pipe bands from an Ensemble and Piping perspective.

SNARE DRUMMING

Davy Clark

Davy’s drumming journey started at 9, learning from his dad Willy Clark at City of Rotorua PB. A decorated New Zealand solo competitor (NZ Champs 2020, 3x Ōtautahi Solos), long-time tutor, and former NZ Youth Pipe Band member and tutor, he’s spent 7 years teaching in Invercargill and online – shaping future drummers and leading winning drum corps. Band highlights include multiple NZ Pipe Band Championship wins (2013, 2019, 2020, 2024), Australian Championship wins (2018, 2022) and the ultimate milestone – winning the Grade 1 World Championships in 2023 and performing at the Pre-Worlds Concert in 2024 with People’s Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band.
SNARE DRUMMING

Douglas Bilsland

Doug began drumming at the age of 8 at the Manawatu Scottish Society hall in Palmerston North under the guidance of Jeremy McLaughlin. He quickly rose through the ranks to join the New Zealand Police Pipe Band at age 13, until he moved to Auckland in 2021 and began drum sergeant in 2024. Doug played with Inveraray & District Pipe Band in 2018, where he won the drumming prize at the British Championships and placed second overall at the World Pipe Band Championships. Earlier this year, Doug won the RSPBA Oceania World Solo Drumming Qualifier and is about to head to Scotland to compete in the Semi Final and (fingers crossed) the final. Doug now resides in Invercargill and teaches drumming.
SNARE DRUMMING

Michael Jenkins

Michael started drumming in 2006 at St. Andrews College in Christchurch. He enjoyed many National Juvenile titles during his time at StAC, with the highlight being winning the World Juvenile Pipe Band Championships in 2013. Michael has been part of the Canterbury Caledonian Society Grade One Pipe Band since 2012, and was appointed leading drummer in late-2019, during his time with Canterbury, he has won 8 national titles and 6 drumming titles. Outside of playing with Canterbury, Michael tutors drumming at St. Andrews College and is a freelance marketer/designer.
SNARE DRUMMING

Jamie McEwan

Jamie McEwan is one of New Zealand’s most experienced and respected drumming educators, with over 20 years of teaching experience across private lessons, workshops, seminars and camps nationwide.

Originally from Nelson, Jamie began drumming at age 11 and has been a full-time instructor at St Andrew’s College since 2013. A life member of the Canterbury Caledonian Society Pipe Band, he served as Leading Drummer from 2001 to 2009, leading the corps to a National Drumming Championship in 2006. He has also played a key role in all 11 of the band’s National Championship titles.

Jamie is also a member of the RNZPBA Judging Panel and has been instrumental in driving, organising and promoting solo events for New Zealand drummers. The 2026 Summer School marks his 22nd time teaching at the school.

BASS & TENOR DRUMMING

Megan Clark

Megan’s drumming journey started at 16 under the guidance of her dad at City of Wellington Pipe Band and it’s taken her across NZ, Australia, Canada and the UK. Highlights include being part of the NZYFPB 2011 – 2014, winning Juvenile and Grade 3 in Melbourne 2012 with the NZ Youth Pipe Band, Australian National Champion Grade 2 in 2018 with Hawthorn Pipe Band, back-to-back ILT City of Invercargill G2 titles in 2019 & 2020 including the Kitto Cup in 2020 and multiple podium finishes across solo contests. Most recently, she joined the world-renowned Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Pipe Band, where she took out the British Grade One Championship, European Drumming Championship, performed at the Caber Féidh Pre-World’s Concert and finishing 5th at the 2024 World Championships.
BASS & TENOR DRUMMING

Cameron Love

Cam began tenor drumming at the age of nine, performing with both the Ashburton and Temuka Pipe Bands. In 2008, he joined the Canterbury Caledonian Society’s Grade 1 Pipe Band, where he spent nine years achieving multiple midsection and national championship titles. During this time, he also regularly competed with the band at the World Pipe Band Championships. More recently, Cam has performed with the Metro Scottish and New Zealand Police Pipe Bands.

A passionate and experienced educator, Cam has worked with numerous bands, including the St Andrew’s College Pipe Band and the New Zealand Youth Pipe Band. He has also facilitated workshops across the country, sharing his expertise with the next generation of drummers. Cam completed his music studies at the University of Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington, and he currently leads the Music Department at Te Aratai College in Christchurch.