Calling All Pipers -Win A Free Pass to the Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat!

Piping Retreat Offered at 2016 Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest and Retreat

(photo: Jerry O’Sullivan, world renowned uilleann piper will return to the Spanish Peaks Celtic fest/retreat this year.  Photo by Bob Kennemer)

The Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat, in partnership with Celtic Connections, is offering one free pass to some lucky highland piper.  The Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat (www.sppipers.com) is sponsored by the Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival (Sept22-25, www.celticmusicfest.com)and will be held Sep 23-25, 2016 in La Veta, CO about 2.5 to 3 hour drive south of Denver.  The Retreat  focuses on bellows-blown Scottish smallpipes or border pipes and brings top traditional artists to share tips, techniques and tunes.  Highland pipers who have attended previous retreats have remarked  about  the freedom they find in playing alternative pipes for musicality and expression, and enjoyed the opportunity to play with other instruments.

Instructors for this year’s Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat will be Jerry O’Sullivan and Ben Miller.  Jerry, known worldwide for his uilleann piping, and a regular at the Festival, is no less talented on smallpipes.  Jerry is certain to share a special Irish tune, or two!  Ben Miller, from upstate New York, is charting his own path as a top-notch musician and piper.  These top-tier players will provide instruction for intermediate and advanced classes. A new experience, initiated at last year’s retreat, was the opportunity for members of the Piping Retreat to join with attendees of the Spanish Peaks Celtic Harp Retreat (www.spanishpeaksharpretreat.com), and play tunes together.  That opportunity will be offered again this year!

The Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat starts at 9 am Friday Sep 23 and wraps up around 3 pm on Sunday Sep 25, 2016.  The fee for the Piping Retreat is $250. The Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival features a wide array of workshops and concerts, so feel free to bring family and friends who can participate in, or observe, a number workshops ranging from singing to dancing, to cultural and historical presentations or they can just enjoy the sights and offerings of “Spanish Peaks Country.” Evening concerts rock the house!  This year’s headliners are Altan, The High Kings and Outside Track!  Late night sessions are held after the evening concerts, so the music almost never stops!!

To qualify for the free pass for the Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat Sep 23 – Sep 25, 2016 you must:  (1) be a highland piper currently playing with a highland pipe band in the Celtic Connections area, (2) have some basic proficiency with bellows-blown pipes and ability to bring a set of bellows-blown smallpipes in key of A, and (3)  send an email to: [email protected] explaining something of your piping background and why you’d like to win (please include your best contact phone number) by July 22, 2016.  Winner will be contacted by Jim Conley, Director of the piping retreat on or before July 25.  Winner of the free pass grants the Celtic Connection, Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival/Piping Retreat permission to use in newsprint and/or electronic media.  If winner is unable to change,  alternate name(s) from entrants will be picked.  The free pass covers the cost of the Piping Retreat, the winner will be responsible for all other expenses i.e. travel, meals, housing, if applicable.    Please share this information with your piping friends.  Whether you are a piper or not, come and enjoy the Celtic fest and retreat at Spanish Peaks September 22-25!