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Winter School is a rare opportunity to learn from some of the best players and the most creative instructors of Celtic music, while spending time in community with fellow musicians and music appreciators.
Learn MoreLearn MoreWinter School is an opportunity to learn tunes and technique from some of the best players and the most inspiring instructors of Scottish music, spending time in community with fellow musicians and music appreciators, and just have fun!
The Chanter Weekend is a 2-night program at Winter School that will take place concurrently with the Piobaireachd program and the Kids Weekend. Students arrive on Friday afternoon (January 29th) and the program begins with dinner on Friday night. The weekend will include multiple group classes, individual work, and fun evening gatherings. Classes end on Sunday, January 31st at noon.
This program is best-suited to those with one year of chanter experience or more. Please contact Cayley@CelticArts.org if you have questions about a student’s level.
Housing
Housing at Seabeck Conference Center is in a variety of buildings around campus. Lodging, dining, and classrooms are all walk-able from each other. Each room for this program will have shared bathroom facilities, and single (private, with one bed) or shared (room with 2-3 beds) rooms are available.
Pricing
Prices for the Chanter Weekend include tuition, housing, and meals:
If you are interested in a no-housing option (still includes meals and tuition), please contact Cayley@CelticArts.org
Registration opens August 26th. Cancellations made before December 31st, 2026 will receive a full refund minus a $35 administrative fee. Cancellations made between January 1st, 2027 and January 20th, 2027 will receive a 50% refund of the payments made, minus a $35 administrative fee. Cancellations made after January 20th, 2027 cannot be refunded.
Stuart Liddell, from Inveraray, Scotland, is one of the world’s most exciting pipers and is noted for his excellent solo performances and recordings. For seven years he was a member of the Scottish Power Pipe Band, thereafter joining the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band from Vancouver, Canada. He is the founder and Pipe Major of the Inveraray and District Pipe Band who are the current World Pipe Band Champions, having previously won it in 2017 and 2019. He has also won the World Pipe Band Championship three times with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, has won three Clasps at Inverness, the Senior Piobaireachd at Oban five times, and is a three-time Glenfiddich Piping Champion.
For four decades, Kevin Auld has been playing and teaching bagpipes to students of all ages and abilities in Western Washington. Kevin is a full-time instructor and performer of the Scottish Highland bagpipes in and around Seattle. He began piping as a student at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, WA, and later returned as an adult to direct the school's piping program for 20 years. Currently the Director of the Northwest Junior Pipe Band—Washington’s only competitive youth pipe band—Kevin has introduced hundreds of young musicians to the pipe band world over the past 30 years. Under his leadership, Northwest Junior has earned multiple BC Pipers' Association Grand Aggregate trophies in Grade 4, as well as prestigious awards overseas, including 1st place at the Perth Highland Games, 3rd at the European Championships, and 5th at the World Pipe Band Championships. Additionally, Kevin has served on the teaching faculty for both the renowned Piping Hot Summer Drummer camp and the Celtic Arts Winter School. Locally, Kevin’s students compete and perform across all levels, from Grade 5 to Open-Professional. His current and former students can also be found playing with pipe bands across North America and Scotland. Kevin’s teaching methodology focuses on building a solid foundation of technique and instrument control, allowing students to learn and master tunes with greater ease. As a performer, he has recorded in-studio with rock bands and orchestras, performed on stage at Benaroya Hall, and contributed to independent and Hollywood film scores. Beyond the Highland bagpipes, Kevin plays Scottish smallpipes and whistle, frequently performing alongside his wife, Melanie, on fiddle and piano.
