Amateur Solo Grades
As a branch of the PPBSO, we require players to register for our amateur competitions at their currently assigned PPBSO grade level. This ensures that competitions are fair and that the challenge of the grade is appropriate for the player. In that spirit, we will be verifying player grades with the parent body prior to competitions moving forward.
As a result, the closing date for registrations will shift. Registrations previously closed at noon on the Wednesday before a competition, but will now be moved to noon on the Tuesday before a competition. This gives us additional time to submit our contestant list.
For example, registration for the February 22nd competition will close on Tuesday the 18th at noon.
If any competitors have previously registered for a contest outside their assigned grade, please contact us so we can work with you to change your submission. If you are unclear about which solo grade you are in, it can be found in your online PPBSO member profile
January Registration Deadline
The deadline for our January 11th amateur contest is coming up! Registration will close on January 8th at noon so make sure to get your submissions in
Save the Dates
We have determined the dates of our 2025 invitational competitions, so make sure you mark them down in your calendars!
Agnew-Harrison Saturday, April 12th, 2025
To be held at the John Weir Foote Armoury (200 James St N, Hamilton)
An invitational competition that includes both amateur and professional drummers. We plan to extend the amateur portion of the competition to include grade 4 drummers this year!
Livingstone
Saturday, May 10th, 2025
An invitational competition featuring a collection of some of the best pipers in North America. The competition is broken up into two sections, one for light music, and the other for march, strathspey, reel, hornpipe & jig.
Stay tuned, more details to follow
2025 Amateur Registration Open
Registration for our 2025 amateur competitions is now open!
There will be 3 contest dates:
January 11th
February 22nd
March 22nd
We will be making a change to start times this year, all competitions will kick off at 6pm to avoid late night finishes.
For updates on time, location, and judges please check the main Amateur Competitions page. You can find all Tune Requirements here.
Click the button below to get registered
PLAYERS CONFIRMED FOR THE 28th ANNUAL GEORGE SHERRIFF INVITATIONAL
The 28th Annual George Sherriff Memorial Invitational Competition will take place at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario on November 16. An amazing day of great piping by the top 10 Amateur Pipers from Canada and the United States. The website is being updated, but in the meantime, put the date in your calendar. Here are the confirmed players and adjudicators:
Gillian Blaney (ACPBA)
Ben Elliot (MWPBA)
Liam Forrest (BCPA)
Colin Forrest (BCPA)
Malachi Johannsen (WUSPBA)
Thomas McCollum (MWPBA)
Henry Paluch (PPBSO)
Magnus Stone (EUSPBA)
Adam Tingskou (PPBSO
Mic Trenor (EUSPBA)
Adjudicators:
Peter Aumonier
Mike Cusack
Jim Stack
Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario
The PPBSO — the Pipers’ and Pipe Band Society of Ontario — administers piping, drumming and pipe band contest at various highland games throughout Ontario. Several of these annual summer competitions have special designations, including the North American Championship, the Canadian Championship and the Ontario Championship.
The Niagara-Hamilton Branch is one of several local PPBSO branches throughout Ontario. We hold monthly meetings from October through April.
In addition to being a fun social gathering, our meetings provide opportunities to develop piping and drumming in our area.
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We hold annual Amateur Competitions for amateur pipers and drummers.
We also hold the Livingstone Invitational, Agnew-Harrison Drumming Invitational, support the George Sherriff Memorial Invitational and The Highland Gala.