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 The Northwest
Territorial Pipe Band is a Grade Four recreational pipe and drum band
which makes its home in the city of Yellowknife on the shores of Great
Slave Lake in the sub-arctic region of Canada's Northwest Territories.
The NWT Pipe Band
has the distinction of being Canada's most northerly highland pipe band at
62°27 North latitude — edging out the Midnight Sun Pipe Band from
Whitehorse, Yukon for this frosty honour!
Some of the
material on this site was adapted from The
NWT Pipe Band: Piping Warmth Into the Cold North by Brad Heath.
2011 Robert Burns Dinner & Dance
Tickets for the NWT Pipe Band's 2011 Robert Burns Dinner & Dance on Saturday, January 29, 2011 are now on sale at Office Compliments in Yellowknife or from any member of the NWTPB.
As always, the NWTPB's Robert Burns Dinner & Dance will be held at the Elks Hall in Yellowknife. The evening begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
The evening features a traditional Burns Night dinner of roast beef and haggis, along with a demonstration of Highland dancing, performances by the NWT Pipe Band, audience participation dances led by the Yellowknife Scottish Country Dancers, toasts to the Bard and the Lassies and Laddies, and the presentation of the Scotty Trotter Award. All of this is followed by a DJ dance.
Tickets sell out quickly, so don't wait to get yours!
Click here for more information about Robert Burns.
For more information, contact Pipe Major Brad Heath. |
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History of
the NWT Pipe Band
 The
band was formed in 1976, but was originally known as the Yellowknife Pipe
Band. In 1978, the Yellowknife Pipe Band Association voted to change
the band's name to reflect the wider geographical scope of its homeland.
There have been many
high points over the course of the past 40 years, such as performing for
HRH Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Yellowknife in 1994 and for the
Queen of Denmark when Greenland celebrated home rule in 1978.
1978 was a
remarkable year which included performances at the Arctic Winter Games in
Hay River, NWT. The NWT drummers won second place in a band
competition, while five drummers and pipers won individual awards when the
band traveled to Whitehorse to compete with bands from the Yukon, Alaska
and British Columbia. To cap off the year, the band played for
Prince Charles at the official opening of the Prince of Wales Northern
Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.
The NWT Pipe Band
has also traveled to competitions in Alberta and the Yukon, as well as
finishing third at the Gathering of the Clans in Whitehorse in 1998.
The NWT Pipe Band Today
The band plays at
numerous community events throughout the year, such as Remembrance Day
services, Yellowknife's Canada Day Parade and spring "Caribou
Carnival." The band also plays at various fundraising, such as
the NWT Council for Disabled Persons' Celebrity Auction and sporting
events, including curling bonspiels and the biannual Arctic Winter
Games.
An
annual highlight is Yellowknife's Raven Mad Daze, held in celebration of
the summer solstice and almost 24 hours of sunlight on June 21st.
The band's annual Robbie Burns Supper is a welcome diversion from -30° to
-40°C temperatures!
The Pipe Major is
Brad Heath and the Drum
Major is Jeff Phillips.
Many of the pipers
and drummers who have worn the Northwest Territories' distinctive tartan
of yellow-orange, green, white and blue were actually trained by the
band. This is necessary for the survival of the band, given the
isolated location of Yellowknife (it's a 1,513 kilometre drive from
Edmonton, Alberta). However, this makes for an interesting mix of
players. The
band currently consists of seven pipers and three drummers. Most of our
pipers and drummers were trained by the NWT Pipe Band. |
