Triumph Street Pipe Band
Encyclopedia
The Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band is a Grade One competitive and concert pipe band
based in Greater Vancouver
, B.C., Canada, established in 1971 by former pupils of Pipe Major Malcolm Nicholson, C.M. of the Vancouver Police Pipe Band. In the 1970s and early 80s, the band ranked among the best in the world, and under the leadership of Pipe Major
Hal Senyk and Lead Drummer William McErlean, Triumph Street placed 5th in Grade 1 at the 1979 World Pipe Band Championships
. This achievement was the first time that a band from outside of Scotland had won a major prize at the World's, in this case 'The Sash' for best drum corps.
, with its members holding a total of 47 Juvenile, Grade 2 and Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship titles between them, the newly emerged Triumph Street Pipe Band hopes to re-establish itself as a strong competitive band in B.C.
The new outfit scored its first success as it won the Grade 2 mini-band competition at the BCPA Annual Gathering, including the Best Drum Corps and Best Bass section, then went on to win the Grade 2 contests in Bellingham Highland Games, Sons of Scotland Highland Games, BC Highland Games, Skagit Valley Highland Games, Portland Highland Games, Seattle Highland Games - and ultimately, the 2007 BC Pipers Association Grade 2 Band Grand Aggregate Award.
The band rounded out the 2007 season with an Eastern Canada tour, where the band won the 2007 Grade 2 North American Championships at the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville Ontario.
In September 2007, the band announced a sponsorship agreement with Dowco. The band is proud to include the company in their name, and will be known competitively as the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band.
On December 30, 2007, the BCPA board approved the recommendations from a panel of experts (both within the BCPA, PPBSO and the RSPBA) with a unanimous vote to promote the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band to Grade One.
The band is also sponsored, in part, by Odlum Brown Limited.
, placing third of 15 bands. They finished 13th overall in the final.
by one, ending up 12th overall. The band also competed at the USS Highland Gathering and Scottish Festival in Costa Mesa, California and won the overall result, placing 2nd in the Medley competition Saturday and 1st in the MSR on Sunday, ahead of LA Scots Pipe Band in 2nd and Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band in 3rd.
In 2010, Dowco Triumph Street also acted as the Official Pipe Band of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Curling Events. Members of the band performed 57 times inside the Vancouver Olympic Centre over the course of the events.
placing 1st of 13 bands. Their third trip to the worlds in the new edition of the band, they placed 6th in the Medley competition, and their overall result at the World Championships was up three spots from 2010, ninth place overall. The final result was the best overall placing of any band competing in the qualifier round. While in Scotland, the band performed at Piping in the Square hosted by Piping Live! and three of the band's young pipers were featured in the Pipe Idol competitions; Joseph Stewart, Aaron Stone, and Scott Wood.
The 2011 season saw veteran drummers Michael Hunter and Alan Savage added to the Dowco Triumph Street drum corps, joining Eli Fugate - formerly of Shotts and Dykehead - to provide more veteran musical experiences and knowledge to the band's young drum corps. Alan Savage won the World's Drumming Sash with the 78th Fraser Highlanders, and Michael Hunter, while with Polkemmet and Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Bands under Jim Kilpatrick won 4 drumming sashes at the World Pipe Band Championships
.
Shortly before the World Championships, the band announced a change to their drumming sound, moving to Premier snare drums and new tenor drums as well as a retrofit Hosbilt Bass.
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
based in Greater Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, B.C., Canada, established in 1971 by former pupils of Pipe Major Malcolm Nicholson, C.M. of the Vancouver Police Pipe Band. In the 1970s and early 80s, the band ranked among the best in the world, and under the leadership of Pipe Major
Pipe Major
The Pipe Major is the director of bagpipe music in a Scottish or Irish pipe band. Like Drum Major, the position of Pipe Major is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term Sergeant Piper was used for the role in place of "Pipe Major".Civillian and military...
Hal Senyk and Lead Drummer William McErlean, Triumph Street placed 5th in Grade 1 at the 1979 World Pipe Band Championships
World Pipe Band Championships
The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed...
. This achievement was the first time that a band from outside of Scotland had won a major prize at the World's, in this case 'The Sash' for best drum corps.
2007
In 2007, the experienced trio of Pipe Major David Hilder, Lead Drummer Andre Tessier and Pipe Sergeant Shaunna Hilder were asked to lead a new edition of the Triumph Street Pipe Band. Drawing on an infusion of talent from the 2006 Grade 2 World Champion Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe BandRobert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band
The Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band is an organization of four bands affiliated with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. Though one primary purpose of the bands is to act as a feeder for the Grade I SFU pipe band, the bands have proven themselves in their own right as highly competitive forces...
, with its members holding a total of 47 Juvenile, Grade 2 and Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship titles between them, the newly emerged Triumph Street Pipe Band hopes to re-establish itself as a strong competitive band in B.C.
The new outfit scored its first success as it won the Grade 2 mini-band competition at the BCPA Annual Gathering, including the Best Drum Corps and Best Bass section, then went on to win the Grade 2 contests in Bellingham Highland Games, Sons of Scotland Highland Games, BC Highland Games, Skagit Valley Highland Games, Portland Highland Games, Seattle Highland Games - and ultimately, the 2007 BC Pipers Association Grade 2 Band Grand Aggregate Award.
The band rounded out the 2007 season with an Eastern Canada tour, where the band won the 2007 Grade 2 North American Championships at the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville Ontario.
In September 2007, the band announced a sponsorship agreement with Dowco. The band is proud to include the company in their name, and will be known competitively as the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band.
On December 30, 2007, the BCPA board approved the recommendations from a panel of experts (both within the BCPA, PPBSO and the RSPBA) with a unanimous vote to promote the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band to Grade One.
The band is also sponsored, in part, by Odlum Brown Limited.
2008
The Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band made their Grade One outdoor competition debut at the USS Highland Gathering and Scottish Festival in Costa Mesa, California, on May 24–25, 2008. The band placed first against the LA Scots Pipe Band in the MSR competition, and came second to the LA Scots Pipe Band in the Medley competition. The drum corps came first in both the Medley and MSR competition.2009
The Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band was the only Grade 1 Pipe Band from North America to make it through the qualifying round at the World Pipe Band ChampionshipsWorld Pipe Band Championships
The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed...
, placing third of 15 bands. They finished 13th overall in the final.
2010
For the second year in a row, Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band made it through the qualifying round, placing sixth of 18 Grade 1 bands in the qualifier, and improving their final result in the World Pipe Band ChampionshipsWorld Pipe Band Championships
The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed...
by one, ending up 12th overall. The band also competed at the USS Highland Gathering and Scottish Festival in Costa Mesa, California and won the overall result, placing 2nd in the Medley competition Saturday and 1st in the MSR on Sunday, ahead of LA Scots Pipe Band in 2nd and Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band in 3rd.
In 2010, Dowco Triumph Street also acted as the Official Pipe Band of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Curling Events. Members of the band performed 57 times inside the Vancouver Olympic Centre over the course of the events.
2011
Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band won the qualifying round at the World Pipe Band ChampionshipsWorld Pipe Band Championships
The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed...
placing 1st of 13 bands. Their third trip to the worlds in the new edition of the band, they placed 6th in the Medley competition, and their overall result at the World Championships was up three spots from 2010, ninth place overall. The final result was the best overall placing of any band competing in the qualifier round. While in Scotland, the band performed at Piping in the Square hosted by Piping Live! and three of the band's young pipers were featured in the Pipe Idol competitions; Joseph Stewart, Aaron Stone, and Scott Wood.
The 2011 season saw veteran drummers Michael Hunter and Alan Savage added to the Dowco Triumph Street drum corps, joining Eli Fugate - formerly of Shotts and Dykehead - to provide more veteran musical experiences and knowledge to the band's young drum corps. Alan Savage won the World's Drumming Sash with the 78th Fraser Highlanders, and Michael Hunter, while with Polkemmet and Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Bands under Jim Kilpatrick won 4 drumming sashes at the World Pipe Band Championships
World Pipe Band Championships
The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed...
.
Shortly before the World Championships, the band announced a change to their drumming sound, moving to Premier snare drums and new tenor drums as well as a retrofit Hosbilt Bass.