Current-History

History of KHPB

2000 – Present

Since 2000, the band membership has grown and changed substantially. Working with a professional piper and drummer on a regular basis to aid the band in improvement goals has been instrumental in the band’s increasing success. With an increase in participation in competitions, the band formally adopted a third uniform alternative that has evolved over the years. The band continued to wear a formal, full military dress uniform in select performances until 2008, when the band voted to dispense with the formal uniform due to the costs involved. Today’s uniform consists of a glengarry, white long sleeve short, band tie, black jacket, black leather sporran, charcoal hose, and ghillie brogues.

Trips to Glasgow (Kentucky) in 2000 and to Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2015 have been highlights for the band. The KHPB was the guest band at the Kentucky Highland Games in 2000 and spent several days meeting with Lord and Lady Kintore, as well as with the dozens of Clan Keith members in attendance. In 2002, the band trip to Scotland included one week of historic events celebrating the 1000th Anniversary of the Clan Keith and International Clan Gathering, plus the band’s first appearance in the World Pipe Band Championships on Glasgow Green. 

In August 2002 during the Scotland trip, Lord Kintore created “The Chief’s Award” to celebrate the Band’s Fiftieth Birthday. The award honors outstanding contribution or achievement by a member of the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band. The Chief presented the first award to piper Darlene Lewis-Chinn at the Clan Keith Annual General Meeting in Inverurie, Scotland, in recognition of her contributions to the band resulting in the publication of a book documenting the first fifty years of the KHPB. The Chief’s Award had been presented to a band member at the band’s Annual General meeting since then.

At the Worlds in 2002, the band qualified for the finals and placed 11th of 44 bands in Grade 4B. In 2004, the band trip competed at both the Bridge of Allan Highland Games and World Championships, with visits with the Lord and Lady Kintore and their family as time permitted. At the Bridge of Allan, the band won the trophy for Marching and Deportment and placed 6th of 28 bands in Grade 4. At the World Championships in 2004, the band again qualified for the finals and placed 6th of 42 bands (receiving 1st place from both piping judges in the finals). In 2008, the band placed 3rd in Grade 4B.  Unfortunately, the band did not place in either 2012 or 2015. 

Some notable performances during the past 20 years include performing in historic ceremonies celebrating the Clan Keith’s 1000th Anniversary in Scotland in 2002, performing with the Seattle Symphony (2002), Kirkin’ of the Tartan and Celtic Festival at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle ( an annual event since 1990), landing ceremony of the Concorde’s last flight to Boeing Field (2003), the annual Macy’s Holiday Parade, annual KHPB-produced concerts at the Kirkland Performance Center starting in 1998, competitions and performances in Las Vegas (2005), and International Children’s Festival at McCaw Hall in Seattle (2005).

The band competed regularly since 2000 in Grade 4 in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada, Aboyne Highland Games (Scotland), Bridge of Allan Highland Games (Scotland), Glasgow Highland Games (Kentucky), and Las Vegas Highland Games (Nevada). The band has won the Washington State Grade 4 Championship at the Skagit Valley Highland Games since 2001. Capping off the 2004 regional Highland Games competitions, the band took 1st place in Grade 4 on both days of the Pacific Northwest Highland Games and this resulted in winning the band’s first Grade 4 Band Aggregate Award at this event. In April 2005, the band traveled to the Las Vegas (Nevada) Highland Games and took 1st place in Grade 4 on both days resulting in receiving the Grade 4 Band Aggregate Award. 

Between 2006 and 2008, the band had both a Grade 3 and a Grade 4 band. The Grade 3 band was dropped as some players moved out of the Seattle area.

In 2012, after years of success in Grade 4, the British Columbia Pipers’ Association, the organization responsible for overseeing competitions in the Pacific Northwest, asked the band if it wanted to voluntarily move from Grade 4 to Grade 3. The band decided it wasn’t ready for the move to Grade 3 and continued to compete in Grade 4 through 2017.

In 2014, our long-time highland dance instructor, Marian Webb, passed away, and the band celebrated her life at a memorial service. British-born American film and television director Andrew McLaglen, a resident of Western Washington for many years, also passed away in 2014, and the band honored his life playing in his memorial ceremony in Friday Harbor, Washington.

In June 2017, the band played at the closing of FX McRorys, a well-known local restaurant and bar where the band performed on St. Patrick’s Day for many years.  Band members signed a bass head for the owner with hope that he will display it proudly when he reopens the restaurant in a new location.

The band has celebrated the end of the competition seasons at the Annual KHPB Family picnics at Tolt MacDonald Park, named after the father of our former P/M and current D/S Greg MacDonald.

The Chieftains (2011), Carlos Nunez (2017) and The Piano Guys (2017), all internationally famous musicians, honored the KHPB by asking the band to play with them at their concerts in Seattle.

In 2018, the BCPA didn’t again ask the band for a voluntary move to Grade 3 – the Grading Committee decided it was time and upgraded the band! The band competed regularly in both Grades 3 and 4 in 2018 and 2019.

In October 2018 and February 2020, the band held its first two whisky tasting events.  The first event featured a flight of Speyside whiskies, the second a flight of whiskies from the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. These sold-out events were huge successes – and we hope more will be scheduled after the current pandemic is finally under control. 

Immediately after the 2020 Whisky Tasting, the covid-19 pandemic arrived in the United States. Wisdom and caution required that the band dispense with in-person practices starting in March. The band is fortunate to have technically savvy leadership that quickly moved the band to online practices. In order to maintain and improve piping and drumming skills, the band began working on recording video sets that have been posted in the band’s online YouTube channel:

Today the band has 26 active pipers and 14 active drummers, and competes in both Grade 3 and Grade 4. The pandemic will continue to prevent in-person events, including competitions, for the foreseeable future. With such a large active membership, the band will continue its video productions but looks forward to returning to the highland games circuit fielding two competition bands. Performances outside the Pacific Northwest and overseas are planned but on hold for now. We hope to see all of our Keith friends and supporters in person again – soon!

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