The Dan Reid Memorial is now a mature and highly acclaimed leader in the world of solo piping. This is a labor of love over the past twenty years dedicated to the preservation and discovery of the great music written for the Great Highland Bagpipe. It is the combined talents of the organizing committee and the artists that afford us the pleasure of compiling a truly remarkable collection of recorded music for the pipers of today and those in the future. There has never been, to our knowledge, a compilation of the great music of the Great Highland Bagpipe by the finest exponents of the art in the modern era.
The collection offers to date forty different Piobaireachds, 10 Urlars, seventy-seven different Marches, fifty-nine different Strathspeys, sixty-four different Reels, twenty-one different Jigs, twenty different Hornpipes and two 6/8 Marches. In the Recital format itself, we have submitted in our tune lists sixty-seven Piobaireachds of which fifty-seven have been played; Eighty-three Marches of which seventy-two have been played; Sixty-three Strathspeys of which fifty-nine have been played; Seventy-three Reels of which sixty-five have been played; Twenty-eight Urlars of which twenty-five have been played; Forty-three Jigs of which twenty-nine have been played; Thirty-eight Hornpipes of which twenty-seven have been played and twenty-six 6/8 Marches of which twelve have been played.
Over the years the DRM has taken the lead in solo piping innovation.
1992: The premier of the DRM was held at the St. Francis Hotel's Colonial Room in San Francisco. It featured a published tune list presented to six invited contestants. The disciplines featured were March (2), Strathspeys (2), Reel (2) and Piobaireachd (1). The tunes selected were presented to the contestants on the morning of the event. The prizes were awarded by two judges who have arrived at their decisions through open discussion with each other. The prizes were awarded at a black-tie banquet on the evening of the event.
1993: The first break with tradition. The Committee decided to assume the role of selecting the music to be played from the tune lists. It was felt that the usual format which had the judges make the tune selection was inadequate due to time constraint and distance. With P/M Reid and Major Cairns assuming the role we have been able to present selections to each competitor that are fair and balanced in regards to technique and musical difficulty. It has also allowed us to widen the scope of the recorded offerings.
1997: The initiation of the Cameron Gillies Championship. This event was designed to offer a challenge to three up and coming young contestants to elevate their playing to a higher plane. The event was named after P/M Alex Cameron, who was the piper to the St. Andrew's Society of San Francisco for thirty-one years and his father-in-law the renowned P/M John MacDougall Gillies, one of the finest pipers and teachers in the history of our music. The contest featured a published tune list with each contestant playing a March (played twice), a Strathspey (played twice), a Reel (played twice) and one Piobaireachd.
2000: The committee added a new discipline, the Jig/Hornpipe to the list of events. Tunes were selected from a published list with each discipline being played once. With this addition the recital format was born.
2001: The DRM now gave birth to the present Challenge Recital. The committee wanted to break new ground by honoring the talents of the invited artists by removing the solo stigma and bringing the event into the modern era. We added a new discipline with the introduction of the Urlar Recital. A list of Urlars, (The ground of a Piobaireachd), were published and each recitalist played one selected by the committee. To complete the Recital concept, each recitalist performed their entire selection of disciplines without leaving the recital arena and the selected tunes were revealed to each recitalist ten days prior to the event. This was truly a momentous break with a centuries old tradition where the contestant was given selected tunes just prior to their competing time. These changes have been met with great acceptance, by both the artist and their audience.
2003: The Cameron Gillies Championship was changed to include a 6/8 March as part of their recital. Each recitalist is requested to play one March (twice over) from a published list of six Marches. They also perform their recital in the same format as the Masters' Championship.
2004: A truly major change in the DRM will occur with the change of venue. The committee has been very fortunate to obtain the facilities of a long esteemed private club in San Francisco. The Dr. Dan Reid Memorial 2004 and all future DRMs will be held in the Marines' Memorial Club at 609 Sutter St., San Francisco.
We are proud of the accomplishments of the Dr. Dan Reid Memorial and we are deeply indebted to the St. Andrews Foundation of San Francisco, our presenter from day one, and the St. Andrews Foundation Piping Trust for their financial support. We are also indebted to the recitalists and judges who share with us their tremendous talent, dedication and time to share the history and music of this great instrument. They are distinguished by their appreciation and exceptional manners throughout the day's activities. We are also fortunate to have our sound engineer Mr. Robert Shumaker. His talent is very evident in our recorded offerings that are in a class by themselves. We were most fortunate, in the formative years, to have had Major A.M. Cairns, who acted as our advisor and valuable committee member from day one. We remain in awe of his knowledge, dedication, honesty and creativity.
To all the patrons, artists and judges who have crossed our path in the past fifteen years: Thank you, we will forever be indebted to you for your support.
The DRM committee: P/M Ozzie Reid (Chairman); Mr. Colin Breck, Mrs. Jas. Brown, Mr. Ned Garrett, Dr. Terry Hunter, Mrs. Andrea Jones, Mrs. Lois Reid, Mr. Aaron Buchanan and Mrs. Shaun Rex Buchanan.
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Dan Reid Banner:
This special creation was designed for the DRM. The front side bears Dr. Dan's personal crest. This banner was approved prior to his death. The back side has the crest of the DRM and was designed and presented at the first DRM. This banner is awarded to the winner of the Masters' Piobaireachd Recital. A similiar Banner is awarded to the overall winner of the Cameron/Gillies Recital.
The McLaren Horn:
This trophy is named in memory of the late John McLaren, the designer and developer of Golden Gate Park. He was an immigrant from Scotland and a member of the St. Andrews Society of San Francisco. The antique ram's horn, with silver and quartz lid and silver medal was a gift to thye Society by the Caledonian Schools of London, England in recognition of their financial contributions to that charity. It is mounted on a slice of California Redwood Burl. The Horn is awarded to the overall winner of the Masters' Recital Challenge.
The St. Andrews Officers Sword:
This is another unique gift to the Society from the Caledonian School of London, England. It is mounted on a slice of California Redwood Burl and inlaid with silver medallions. The sword is awarded to the winner of the Masters' March, Strathspey and Reel recital.
The Joy Baillie Cairns Memorial Trophy:
This trophy was created in honor of Mrs. Joy Cairns who was an ardent supporter of the DRM from it's initiation. Joy was the beloved wife of Major Archie Cairns MMM CD from London, Ontario. The trophy features a crystal vase with silver trappings mounted on a slice of California Redwood Burl. This trophy is awarded to the winner of the Masters' Jig/Hornpipe Recital.
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| Trophies and Banners |
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| P/M John MacDougall Gillies |
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| Initiated in 1997, the Cameron/Gillies event was named after P/M Alex Cameron, piper to the St. Andrews Society of San Francisco for 31 years, and his Father-in-Law, the renowned P/M John MacDougall Gillies.
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