Barry Shears
Former Nova Scotia Champion Supreme piper Barry Shears will provide a seminar on the Cape Breton-style of bagpiping at the next seminar in the BCPA weekend seminar series on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.
The Cape Breton style of piping evolved directly from the highlands of Scotland through heavy highland immigration of Gaelic-speaking Scots to Cape Breton and northeastern Nova Scotia in the 19th century. Pipe music from the highlands influenced many contemporary Cape Breton fiddlers including Buddy MacMaster, Ashley MacIsaac and Natalie MacMaster.
Barry was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1956. His first bagpipe lessons at age 12 were from Angus MacIntyre, a piper, retired coal miner and direct descendant of Clanranald’s 18th family piper, Duncan MacIntyre. At an early age, Barry began collecting and composing music for the Highland bagpipe. He is an acknowledged expert on the history of traditional piping in Nova Scotia and its intrinsic connection to the Gaelic language, music and culture of the province.
Barry holds the Canadian Armed Forces (Reserve) Pipe Major’s Certificate, the Senior Pipers Certificate and Teachers Certificate from the Institute of Piping in Scotland, and has won the Champion Supreme trophy for professional piping in Nova Scotia six times.
In addition to numerous articles dealing with Highland culture in Nova Scotia and abroad, his list of publications include “The Gathering of the Clans Collection”, Volume One and Two; “The Cape Breton Collection of Bagpipe Music”; and most recently “Dance to the Piper: The Highland Bagpipe in Nova Scotia”, a book of history based on his Master of Arts thesis from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and published by Cape Breton University Press in 2008. A fifth collection of history, photos, “Puirt a Beul” and 249 tunes entitled “Play It Like You Sing It” Volume One and Two was published in 2018.
To register for the seminars, please use the following link :
https://bcpipers.wildapricot.org/event-4480576
Sign up by Friday morning 9:00 am Pacific Time.
