J.R. Arthur
- Washington, DC
- Bagpiper
- 136 Verified Bookings
Carolyn M. said “JR made my father's memorial service so very special and uniquely memorable to my family. From the first moment we spoke he helped guide and advise…”
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Second generation professional bagpiper with 20+ years experience. Instruments include Scottish Highland Bagpipes, Borderpipes, Smallpipes, Irish whistle, and Irish Bouzouki.
Common event requests are for weddings, funerals, golf tournaments, birthdays, corporate events, military functions, and church service. Other work includes instruction at all levels as well as studio/recording work. Recent concerts include a show with Emmy Award-winner Connie Dover, and Ireland's Grammy-winners, The Chieftains.
I am happy to help make your event memorable. Thanks for checking out my page. Sound samples are available upon request.
Have a great day!!
Neil was fantastic! Excellent talent, super easy and nice to work with to set this up. He was prompt, professional in every way. I highly recommend him for your event.
Response from Professional Highland Bagpiper:
Peter,
Thank you for your kind words. You were a wonderful client to work with, and it was an honor to play for too men who havemail served our country with valor.
I hope with have the good fortune to work together in the future.
Best,
neil
Neil is a highly talented multi-instrumentalist who brings sensitivity and precision to his playing. I have seen him play in concert with the Chieftans, in a pub during a session, and at weddings and other ceremonial performances. At each one he manages to pick the most fitting music, works well in all these settings, and just watching him, you can see how much he loves the music.
Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 15 - 120 minutes
I grew up in a musical household, exposed to highland bagpipes and many other types of folk music from a very early age. I began playing bagpipes around age eleven, and took up the Irish whistle shortly after. By age fourteen I was competing in amateur solo bagpipe competitions, and playing in the junior band of the Kansas City St Andrew Pipes and Drums. In 1999 I was invited to play in the premier competitive band in our organization, and over the next couple of years travelled all over the Midwest, Ontario, and California winning several contests in our grade. In 2001, we travelled to Glasgow, Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships where we won the piping category in our grade.
After five more successful seasons with the Kansas City band, I joined the City of Chicago Pipe Band which is one of the premier bagpipe bands in North America. After two seasons competing and performing with that band I decided to focus my efforts on solo piping, teaching private lessons, and studying Irish Traditional Music which had always been a part time hobby.
In 2007 I spent a summer in Edinburgh, Scotland sightseeing, performing in the Edinburgh Festival and taking music lessons. Later, in 2009 I received a generous scholarship to travel to Isernia, Italy in the central Molise region where I studied bagpipe music at a retreat with some of Scotland's top bagpipers from the National Piping Centre in Glasgow.
Since then I have been able sustain myself as a performer and teacher fostering many students on the highland bagpipes, working with a variety of musicians, church music directors, booking agents, etc. I am new to the DC area and working to build a network in this great city. Please feel free to call or email with any questions.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!!
For any highland bagpipe performance I generally do not require any additional gear to be provided by the venue. I require approximately twenty minutes of warm-up time before any performance. In the case of other instruments such as borderpipes/smallpipes, whistle or bouzouki, some amplification may be required but this can be discussed on a case by case basis.
May 09, 2015 | Other |
September 07, 2013 | Funeral Service |
Carolyn M. said “JR made my father's memorial service so very special and uniquely memorable to my family. From the first moment we spoke he helped guide and advise…”
Mary D. said “Peter is incredibly talented and was flexible to our event needs! I am grateful for the joy he brought to our party and our guests. We’re all hoping he…”
Allen T. said “Highly recommend Bob for your event.”
Stephen C. M. said “Duncan was absolutely amazing and drew a large crowd at our Saint Patrick’s Day ☘️ party and birthday. Our neighbors all enjoyed his talent and skills.…”