Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band
| Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Grade | 3 |
| Pipe major | Christopher Gallant |
| Drum sergeant | Justin Gallant |
| Notable honours |
Grade 2 North American Pipe Band Champions, 2006 |
| Website | http://www.facebook.com/fssapb |
The Fredericton Society of St. Andrews currently has three pipe bands based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It was originally formed in 1927.
The Grade 3 band's current Pipe Major is Christopher Gallant; lead drummer is Justin Gallant. The Grade 4 band is led by Eric Horncastle with Dave Coleman taking lead tip position. The Grade 5 band while under development is led by Sass Forsyth.
History
The Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew Pipe Band was formed in 1927. It has performed throughout Canada, the U.S., Scotland, England and France. It is the only pipe band in North America to have been invited and traveled to France on five occasions, in 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. After winning the Grade 2 North American Championships in 2006, the band was officially promoted to Grade 1 by the Atlantic Pipe Band Association. In January 2008, the band requested regrading to Grade 2 after losing several senior members to other bands.[1][2][3]
After the summer of 2014, the Grade 3 band faced an uncertain future after losing a number of players to other bands and retirement from competition. They continued to build behind the scenes, and, after two seasons away from competition (2015 and 2016), returned to the circle at the Virginia International Tattoo as a Grade 3 band under the continued leadership of Drum Sergeant Justin Gallant, and now alongside his brother Christopher Gallant as Pipe Major.[4][5]
The Grade 4 band, after being promoted from Grade 5 and previously referred to as the Junior Band, even though only a few players were under 18, traveled to Scotland to compete in the Worlds in 2017, placing 11th of 60 bands entering the contest.
The Grade 3 band has attended the Festival Interceltique in Lorient twice, another first for North American Pipe Bands (1998, 2004). In August 2005 the Grade 3 section of the organization (then in the grade two band) attended the Festival des Filets Bleus in Concorneau along with several members of the senior band. A few members of the band performed at the Mardi Gras celebrations in Nice in February 2006. In all of these trips to France, the band played for crowds of more than 60,000. In September 2007, the band was invited to perform at the "Breizh Touch" festival and parade in Paris. This parade was believed to have brought crowds of approximately 500,000 people. Some members of the band were also invited to play in "Rugby Town", the official fan headquarters of the IRB World Cup of Rugby adjacent to the Eiffel Tower. The band played prior to the Ireland-France game.
Junior Band and Academy
Established in 1985, the Fredericton Junior Pipe Band and Academy instructs local youth and adults in the art of bagpiping and drumming. Since that time, it has produced hundreds of pipers and drummers from throughout New Brunswick, who remain with the organization or have moved on to other provinces and bands. This teaching program has worked so well that it has been mirrored by a number of other bands.
The academy is building a Grade 5 band for the 2018 season.
Lessons are conducted at Nashwaaksis Middle School (Fredericton North) on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. from September through May.
Discography
- Changing Times (1999)