Old Colony Highlanders (OCH) Bagpipe Band, that practices in Lakeville, travelled to Brunswick, Maine on August 20 for a bagpipe band competition and came home with a second place overall out of 7 bands, including a first place in drumming and ensemble.
Bagpipe band competitions in the eastern United States are overseen by the Eastern Pipe Band Association. Grade 5 pipe bands, like Old Colony Highlanders, are expected to play a six-to-eight-part set of marches which generally lasts about 4 minutes. The band is judged on many factors such as technique, musicality and ensemble. There are four judges: two bagpiping, one drumming and one ensemble. The final score is a compilation of all four judges’ score. At year-end, an accumulation of the year’s results determines the top bands in the eastern United States. In 2021, Old Colony Highlanders was the number one band in their grade in the eastern U.S.
Over the next month, the Old Colony Highlanders’ competition team will attend competitions in Quechee, Vermont; Altamont, NY and the New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain.
Old Colony Highlanders was founded in 2016 with the desire to bring bagpipe band music home to this region, as well as to serve as a source for local residents to learn to play the bagpipes or pipe band drums. OCH was founded by the Bielski Family of Middleboro and a group of their students. The five members of the Bielski family are experienced bagpipers and drummers, having played in their own family band as well as in larger pipe bands from Cape Cod, Boston, Albany, New York and Canada. They all have successful competitive and performance experience.
OCH is led by Pipe Major Diane Wood-Bielski from Middleboro. Pipe Sergeant Maeghan Bielski assists with leadership, instruction and the overall tuning of the band.
The Old Colony Highlanders drum corps is led by Middleboro resident, Ian Bielski and includes Middleboro resident Drew Bielski, Rhode Island resident, Rob Perry, both snare drummers; the midsection is led by Donna Meaney from Medfield; and the bass drum is played by Sandy West of Middleboro. Bagpipe musicians hail from all over the region including Boston, Medfield, Grafton, Walpole and New Bedford.
Old Colony Highlanders also perform at local events like parades, concerts, memorials, among many others. This year the band will be performing locally at the Lakeville Art and Music Festival on October 1 as well as a band Open House, an October date to be announced soon on the band’s Facebook and Instagram page.
Old Colony Highlanders is a nonprofit organization. The band offers lessons in rudimental drumming, pipe band drumming and bagpiping. Our musicians are some of the best in the area and have years of experience in teaching these instruments. If you would like more information on learning one of these historic instruments, contact the band at oldcolonyhpb@comcast.net or 508-947-4383.