February 24, 2018 – Burnaby, BC – Alastair Lee captured the 3rd annual Boney Music Memorial Invitational Piping Competition and Recital, held at the Halpern Centre on the Burnaby campus of Simon Fraser University.
The event raised over $2,170 for brain cancer research for the British Columbia Cancer Foundation, $828 of which was donated from viewers watching the event online.
The BC Pipers’ Association continued the event that BCPA Life Member Andrew Bonar began in 2016 to utilize piping to further advance charitable causes. Nearly 100 people attended the event and a peak of 80 people watched online, the first year the event was livestreamed.
The players Kevin McLean, Andrew Lee, Alastair Lee, and Jori Chisholm put on significantly entertaining performances. Unfortunately, James P. Troy was not able to perform due to illness.
The results were
1. Alastair Lee
2. Jori Chisholm
3. Andrew Lee
4. Kevin McLean
The adjudicators were unknown to the audience and the players.
Skye Richendrfer, Celtic Arts Foundation President and long-time friend of Andrew and the Bonar family, handled the Master of Ceremonies duties and Fatima Hassam, Associate Vice President of Development at the British Columbia Cancer Foundation, spoke on the treatment advances being made at the BC Cancer Agency and how donations support this important research.
BCPA Board of Director member Thomas Budd handled the donations aspects of the event, BCPA Chief Steward Lynn Bullis and BCPA Secretary Moira Mack handled the competition side, and Jemma Redmond and Rob MacNeil handled the livestream and its online chat.
The beautiful vertical banner for the event was designed by long time friend and graphics designer Melissa Maxwell, at the request of the Bonar family.
Photos from the event are in the BCPA Photo Gallery
Donations to the Boney Music Memorial Fund, which helps support the event and other causes that were dear to Andrew, can be made here
Overall, a wonderful evening that continues Andrew’s legacy of support for brain cancer research. “Inspiring Piping to Conquer Cancer”.
(Picture left to right: Cameron, Jeanette, & Kate Bonar, Alastair Lee, Kevin McLean, Andrew Lee, Jori Chisholm)
