2023 School Instructors & Staff

Richard Parkes, MBE - Piping 

Pipe-Major Richard Parkes holds the record for having won the World Pipe Band Championships the greatest number of times (13) with his band, Field Marshal Montgomery.

Richard lives in Comber, County Down. He has been Pipe Major of the band since 1981, making history by leading FMM to become the most successful pipe band ever to come from Northern Ireland.

Richard is one of the most respected pipers and pipe band leaders in the world, gaining an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen in 2004 for recognition of his services to pipe band music in Northern Ireland. Although Richard has always put the band first, he also managed to win 7 All Ireland Senior Solo Championships, eight Northern Ireland Piper of the Year titles, nine Ulster Senior Championships, as well as winning the Strachan in London, the Jig in Inverness and a number of other prizes at major solo competitions. Richard holds a Masters degree in Polymer Engineering and worked as an Engineering Manager at Bombardier Aerospace until his recent retirement. 

Richard has been awarded honourary doctorates from both Queen's University and Ulster University in Belfast for his contributions to the arts.

Keith Orr - Snare Dumming

Keith lives in Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland and was the leading drummer of World Champions Field Marshal Montgomery (FMM) from 2003 to the end of the 2022 season, winning a raft of major band and drumming titles, including the coveted World Drum Corps Championship sash. 

He has been a successful leading drummer for decades, previously leading the McNeilstown Pipe Band and the Graham Memorial Pipe Band, winning the March, Strathspey & Reel section at the World Pipe Band Championships amongst other titles.

As a soloist, Keith is a senior All Ireland Solo Drumming Champion, a World Solo Drumming Championships finalist, and as leading drummer of FMM has led the band to win 30 major championships including many World Championships titles. Keith has been central to FMM’s success since 2003 and is one half of the partnership that is the band’s successful leadership.

Shaunna Hilder - Piping

Shaunna has been a member of ScottishPower Pipe Band since 2018. She began piping in the Vancouver area where she studied under Angus MacPherson and the late Jimmy McMillian. She enjoyed a successful solo piping career winning many aggregates and Piobaireachd prizes including the Clan MacLeod, McCrimmon Quaich on two occasions.

Later Shaunna was Pipe Major of the Vancouver Ladies Pipe Band. After marrying husband David they enjoyed several years together in the City of Victoria PB, SFUPB winning two grade one world championships, RMM2 winning a grade two world championship as P/S. For ten years Shaunna was P/S of the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band and during that time the band was a 9-time world champion finalist, winning back-to-back qualifiers in 2011, 2012.

Shaunna has been a successful piping teacher and has enjoyed seeing her students grow into piping champions. Some of those accolades include, 3 Nicol-Brown Invitational Championships, 3 George Sherriff Invitational Championships, 2 USCC Silver Chanter Aggregates, the Cowal Highland Gathering Aggregate, among others.

Shaunna is an “A” Solo, Band, and Ensemble qualified Adjudicator and since 2016 Shaunna has Chaired the Solo Grading Committee within the BC Pipers Association. During the day Shaunna is a Dental Administrator, holds a Marketing Management Diploma, and lives in metro Vancouver with husband David, and is a proud mum to son Liam and daughter Andrena.

Jacquie Troy Carter - Snare Dumming

Born into a family of Highland dancers, bagpipers and drummers, it was natural that Jacquie started Highland dancing at the age of 5, under the tutelage of Adelaine Duncan in Victoria, B.C.  Mrs. Duncan's intense instruction and attention to technique and timing ignited a passion within Jacquie and she navigated through the competitive Highland dancing ranks until age 16.

At the age of 8, Jacquie started snare drumming; taking lessons from Colin Magee (piper, drummer and composer). Colin also was the D/S of the City of Victoria Pipe Band, who ran the band with her father, P/M James W. Troy. The band was a major musical influence; not only because of the leadership and musical vision but because of the massive talent within the ranks. Having regular access to that talent for further instruction from the likes of Rob McKendrick and John Fisher, proved to be invaluable.

She rose through the solo ranks in the British Columbia scene quickly and soon was
presented with the opportunity to join the well-respected Vancouver Ladies Pipe Band. Under the direction of then Pipe-Major Shauna Hilder, Jacquie found a deeper love of pipe bands. Being amongst strong, talented women with a poised example of leadership set a strong foundation for a varied pipe band career.

This included playing with the Abbotsford Police in B.C. (1996 – 1998), Peel Police Pipe Band
(1999-2000 and 2010), Toronto Police (2001), 87th Cleveland Pipe Band (2002 ), 78th Fraser
Highlanders (2003 – 2005), Alberta Caledonia (2006), Spirit of Scotland (2008), Edmonton
and District (2012- 2013), Viscount Park (2014-2016), College of Piping (Summerside)
(2017). Throughout these years, there were a number of opportunities to play in concert
venues in Toronto, Edmonton and Glasgow; sprinklings of North American Pipe Band
Championship wins in various grades and many appearances at the World Pipe Band
Championships.

Because of the dedicated instruction and leadership she received throughout over the years,
Jacquie is passionate about giving back to the piping and drumming community. She has been President of the Vancouver Island Pipers Club; she ran the Edmonton Pipers Club for a time and is now on the faculty for the Edmonton Youth Pipe Band. She is also currently the
President of the Alberta Society of Pipers & Drummers.

Andrew Fedori - Tenor/Bass

Andrew Fedori discovered his passion for drumming at the age of nine, inspired by watching family members compete at the Fort Edmonton Park Highland Games. He began his musical journey with the Edmonton Boys Pipeband, where he received tutelage from Shelena Marsh and demonstrated an aptitude for drumming.

After five years with the EBPB, Andrew moved on to play with Edmonton & District Gr. 2, later renamed Viscount Park.  He was fortunate to receive instruction from respected musicians such as Matt Belia, Mike O’Neil, and Aaron Carter. Andrew was able to compete at numerous competitions across North America during his time with the band, and had the opportunity to perform with them for ten days at the Festival Interceltique in Lorient, France.

Simultaneously, Andrew's solo career was flourishing, with impressive wins at the 2015 and 2016 Winterstorm intermediate competitions, earning him recognition as a professional soloist in the province of Alberta. Andrews' most recent achievement is winning first place at the 2022 Agnew Harrison Invitational pro tenor contest.

In 2016, Andrew's expertise and experience led him to become the Head Tenor Instructor of the Edmonton Youth Pipe Band. He is particularly excited to be involved with this organization once again, as it was where he first began playing. Andrew takes great pride in mentoring and guiding young players, with several graduates of his program successfully joining high-level bands in the province. 

In 2018 he became the lead Tenor of the North Stratton Pipe Band. During these years, he was given the responsibility of composing and arranging music and embellishing them with flourishes.  Additionally, he was also responsible for teaching and guiding fellow musicians, as well as tuning and maintaining the tenor and bass drums for the band. 

Sean Somers - Piping

Sean Somers has established himself as one of the top professional pipers from the Canadian Prairies, gaining accolades as a composer, leader, bandsman, and soloist. He started piping at the age of 8, and got his first lessons from his father, Trewin Somers.
 
Sean has been a consistent prize-winner in professional piping contests throughout North America and is the pipe-major of the Grade 2 Rocky Mountain Pipe Band (RMPB) based in Calgary, Alberta. As its pipe-major, Sean has led the RMPB to win the North American Pipe Band Championship, the BC Indoor Annual Gathering, the Mid-America Championship, the Northern Canadian Championships, the Alberta Provincial Championships, the Saskatchewan Provincial Championships, and many other top prizes at local Highland Games.
 
Sean is the former Principal Piping Instructor at the College of Piping (PEI), and has since continued to teach at workshops and at summer schools throughout North America. Sean has also enjoyed opportunities to give recitals in addition to his teaching.

With many appearances in the Grade 1 finals at the World Pipe Band Championships, he is also the former pipe-sergeant of the Grade 1 Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band, and former key member of the 78th Highlanders (Halifax) Pipe Band where he won both the Canadian and North American Championships in Grade 1. Sean spent his formative years with The City of Regina Pipe Band and credits Iain MacDonald (Regina) and Barb MacDonald as major influences on his piping career.

An award-winning composer, Sean is also the author of his own book of bagpipe music entitled “The Out West Collection”. With his compositions appearing in many other contemporary collections of bagpipe music, his tunes have been played and recorded by some of the world’s best soloists and pipe bands.

Sean is the past President of the Alberta Society of Pipers & Drummers (ASPD), past President of the Saskatchewan Pipe Band Association, and former Chair of the Music and Judging Committee with the ASPD. He is a former member of the Music Initiatives Advisory Committee with the Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations, and also a former member of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association's (RSPBA) International Liaison Group, a sub-committee of the RSPBA's Music Board.

An accredited member of both the ASPD and the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario (PPBSO) adjudication panels, Sean has judged solo and band competitions of all levels throughout North America. Stops include British Columbia, the Canadian Prairies, the Maritimes in eastern Canada, as well as the Pacific Region, the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

Over the years, Sean has also been a contributor to pipes|drums, the world’s most popular magazine for pipers and drummers, with feature articles, reviews and opinion.

Sean has also assisted in the development of a bagpipe making business, which manufactured highland bagpipes, smallpipes, practice chanters and accessories.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Sean is married with a son and daughter. A civil servant in “real life”, he is a Communications professional with The City of Calgary.

 Sound Advice Staff

It takes an enormous amount of time to organize and run a summer camp, and the SPBA is fortunate to have a team of dedicated administrators.

Wayne Rempel - School Director

Wayne started piping as an adult after his son took an interest, and he carried on from there, taking lessons through the Conservatory of Performing Arts, and then later joining the Regina RCMP Pipe Band. Wayne competes in Adult piping class events, performs with the RCMP Pipe Band, and was recently awarded The Queen's Jubilee Medal for services to the arts. He is a Past President of the SPBA, and has taken on the school this year.

Michelle Gallagher - School Director

Michelle (Carline) Gallagher has played in pipe bands for most of her life, including many years with the City of Regina Pipe Band, a number of seasons in the  Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band, and she has been a member of Scottish bands Tayside Police and Mackenzie Caledonia. Michelle was a dominant player in the Grade 1 solos for several years, and we are fortunate to have her passion for playing and teaching as part of the school. Michelle will be taking on both teaching and administrative roles during the school.

 Iain MacDonald - Website & Music

Iain MacDonald started SOUND ADVICE in 2004 and organized and ran the school each year until Fall 2022, at which time he sought others to take it on. The school is in a transitional year in 2023, and Iain is excited to have Wayne and Michelle involved in running the school. Iain will play a role in planning and will assist with some teaching as needed. His piping bio is HERE.