Brett Tidswell of Dernancourt has again made his mark on the Australian piping community by taking the country's top solo piping prize at the recent R U Brown Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal competition, which also incorporated the 2019 Australian Solo Piping Championships.
Brett began piping at age 9, receiving his first lessons from his uncle, Michael Clark of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has over the years competed with a number of local bands in Grade 1 and 2, and with the famous Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, one of the worlds top musical ensembles. He was Pipe Major of the Grade 1, City of Adelaide Pipe Band for some 25 years, taking them on to win the Australian Grade 1 Championships.
Brett first won the R U Brown Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal in 1988. By 2008 Brett had won this title a staggering 12 times, which had by then become firmly entrenched as Australia's top prize for solo piping. In 2012 the organisers introduced the Clasp for former winners of the Gold Medal. This meant previous winners could no longer compete for the coveted prize and a new elite category was created. Run the day before the main event, the Clasp is a popular attraction for spectators, which often includes the next days Gold Medal competitors. Those vying for the title are truly the elite of the elite of piping from around Australia, New Zealand and Scotland.
Brett has been second in the Clasp a number of times and this year became the only the second Australian piper to win the ultimate title in Australian Piping.
Brett is a full time piper, teaching through the School of Piping and is National Piping Principal of the Australian Pipe Band College. He has a number of publications on the market, namely "The Complete Pipers Handbook", "The Reed Book", "The Bagpipe Instruction Manual", and numerous musical recordings.
Brett is available for performances and often plays at funerals, weddings, corporate functions and the like. Contact can be made through schoolofpiping@gmail.com
