Games announces international musician as Chieftan

Hororata Highland Games announces international musician as 2016 Chieftain

Media Release

Kyle Warren, Chieftain for the Hororata Highland Games 2016, is somewhat of a piping rock star. Born in Scotland, Kyle immigrated to Australia at the end of 2014. Kyle has released two piping albums with KRL records and also toured world-wide with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers performing their unique mix of bagpipes and rock music – ‘BAGROCK’. Kyle more recently recorded pipes on the Disney Pixar Oscar winning movie ‘Brave’.

“I have been to many Highland Games around the world and am honoured to have been invited to be Chieftain at Hororata,” commented Kyle. “From what I hear it is an exciting event and I am looking forward to experiencing it.”

Kyle has made a career out of piping and is one of the most sort after piping tutors around the world; currently teaching at the prestigious Scotch College Melbourne. Whilst Pipe Major of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, he performed with some of the biggest names in traditional music such as Carlos Nunez, Brian McNeill and Donald Shaw. Kyle won a Danny Kyle Award with TNT - "The New Tradition" at the International Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow; the Breton Championships with Bagad Cap Caval at the Lorient Festival in France, and competed with the world famous Grade 1 Strathclyde Police Pipe Band before joining Northern Ireland’s Field Marshal Montgomery in 2011 where he was part of 17 major championship wins including four World Championships in a row.

“I believe this year the Hororata Highland Games has looked for ways to challenge and inspire the Pipe Bands. Being that the event is the first in the New Zealand piping season, it is a great time for Bands to branch out and try new initiatives.”

This year the Hororata Highland Games has introduced a new Pipe Band competition. The Quartet Band competition which will see groups of four musicians with bagpipes and other acoustic instruments perform. Kyle will be judging this new competition which will allow people to see a different side to the traditional Pipe Band competitions.

“I will be judging the Quartets on tone, playing, presentation of performed piece, but above all else, the entertainment value of the performance. This competition will offer a different perspective to spectators on what can be performed with the bagpipes,” concluded Kyle.

The new Pipe Band competitions have been made possible by local Hororata business, Prime Smoke Salmon, which sponsors the Pipe Band arena this year.

“Prime Smoke has been involved in the Games from the beginning. We believe whole heartily in this event and what it does for our community. When the committee approached us and said they wanted to elevate the Band competitions we felt it was a great area to support and help make happen,” commented Prime Smoke Director, Henry Studholme.

Discounted early bird tickets for the Hororata Highland Games are on sale now. For more information and full programme visit www.hororatahighlandgames.org.nz

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