Three members from the Cochrane Pipe Band will be carting their passion for bagpipes all the way to Shanghai, China.
“I just couldn’t miss this opportunity,” said Susan Flowers, manager and piper for the local band, who will be joined by Arlene Murphy and Dave Botkin.
The trio will be joining the Prince Albert Highlanders, boarding a plane Sept. 9 to play at the opening ceremonies for the Shanghai International Tourism Festival.
A total of 75 pipers and drummers will be representing prairie piping at the international festival, spending two weeks taking in the sights, sounds and culture of Shanghai.
“We begin with a performance for the dignitaries, where there are four stages — and then along a 2.2 km route along the Huahai Road,” said Flowers, also the manager for Cochrane Family Community and Support Services.
“We will be touring the Shanghai Museum, the Jade Buddha Temple, the Shanghai World Financial Centre, the Dongtai Road Antique Market and so much more,” she said, adding that the trip is very well organized — offering plenty of time to explore Chinese culture.
The Cochrane Pipe Band performs at around 20 community events each year, including the annual Cochrane Labour Day Parade, the Tournament of Aces put on by the Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation and the Cochrane Robbie Burns Night — which will be held at Killarney’s Cochrane Jan. 24, 2015.
Learn more about the non-profit recreational pipe band at cochranepipeband.com.
