Winter Storm Biographies
(Final list of instructors subject to change.)
Blair Brown
Blair began drumming in 1992 at the age of 8. In his youth, he played with the Milton Optimist Pipe Band and 78th Fraser Highlanders. His truly formative drumming years took place while playing with The House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead, led by Jim Kilpatrick, winning the World Drum Corps Championships in 2002, 2003 and 2005. At the World Solo Drumming Championships, he has placed in the top 6 three times, most recently in 2009. Blair won the Winter Storm Gold Medal for snare drumming most recently in 2009. Blair currently plays with the 2009 World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.
Kahlil Cappuccino
Kahlil Cappuccino resides in Ottawa, Canada and is the bass drummer for the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel Pipe Band. In 2008 Kahlil was a member of the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band.
Kahlil won the Gold Medal for bass drumming at Winter Storm in 2008, and was the Grade 2 best bass at the 2004 World Pipe Band Championships.
Michael Cole
Mike Cole won the 1998 Best Bass award in Grade 2 at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. His bass sections secured the Grade 2 North American titles in 2004 and 2005 as well as Grade 1 in 2006. In 2007 Mike won MHAF’s Davis Drums Gold Medal in professional bass drumming competition.
A professional educator, Mike instructs at workshops, seminars, and summer camps in North America and Scotland, and is member of the PipeBandTunes.com instructional team.
An accomplished kit drummer and hand percussionist, he’s worked professionally in a variety of musical genres, including as a show drummer in Las Vegas, and with the likes of R&B legends Sam and Dave and Chicago blues artist, Junior Wells. His latest studio project was with Jori Chisholm, on his Bagpipe Revolution CD.
Drew Duthart
Drew Duthart started playing under the instruction of his father Alex, and at age 14 moved to Shotts & Dykehead. During the next five years he achieved every drum corps prize possible, also winning the World’s Juvenile Solo Drumming Championship.
After Shotts, Drew joined the British Caledonian Airways Pipe Band until moving to Ontario in 1986. He was lead drummer of the Metro Toronto Police, helping win the North American Pipe Band Championship twice in the 1990s. After a short hiatus from the pipe band world, Drew returned to play with the Peel Regional Police, and then the Scottish-Lion 78th Fraser Highlanders, becoming lead tip in 2004. Under Drew’s leadership, the 78ths won Best Drum Corps at the 2007 World Pipe Band Championships.
John Fisher
A former North American Drumming Champion, John was a member of the World Champion Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band drum corps under the leadership of Alex Duthart. John was most recently Lead Drummer of the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, and performed for many years as a session drummer in Los Angeles and Canada. With over 25 years experience as a performer and educator, John has gained an international reputation as a master of technique.
Kevin MacHeffner
Internationally renowned as one of today’s finest Drum Majors, Kevin MacHeffner brings a total package of drill, flourishing, and musical knowledge to Winter Storm for its inaugural Drum Major course.
Kevin holds many notable competitive benchmarks both at home and overseas including being the first American drum major to have placed at four of the five Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association major championships.
An active professional-grade tenor drummer, Kevin plays in the Los Angeles Scots Pipe Band. Drum Major MacHeffner actively organizes and leads massed band displays across North America.
Emily McLeod
Tenor drummer Emily McLeod has competed successfully throughout North America as well as Scotland and Ireland. Emily helped Niagara Regional Police win the Grade 2 Best Bass Section prize at the World Pipe Band Championships in 2000, and the 78th Fraser Highlanders win the Best Bass Section prize in 2003.
Emily remained with the 78th Frasers for four years, stepping into a leadership role in 2004. This year she competed with Dublin’s St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band; SLOT had a very successful 2007 season, winning the All-Ireland Championship as well as the Mid-Ulster Championships.
Norman "Haggis" MacLeod
Norman “Haggis” MacLeod joined the St. Andrews Boys Brigade pipe band at age 12, and has been performing the globe over ever since. He’s contributed to many prize-winning bands and drum corps, including the World Champion Best Bass Section of The Vale of Atholl, and was involved in the first tenor drumming workshop run in Scotland by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.
Haggis currently is lead tenor drummer with the 2006 and 2007 World Champion Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band of Northern Ireland.
J. Reid Maxwell
When the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band captured “the Worlds” in 1995, J. Reid Maxwell made history as the first leader of drum corps of two different pipe band World Champions (his other the 78th Fraser Highlanders in 1987). All this was preceded by two World Pipe Band Championships and four World Drum Corps Championships as a teenaged member of Scotland’s Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band! With SFU’s capture of the 2008 World Drum Corps Championship, Reid gained his fourteenth World Championship. Reid returns to Winter Storm as a most valued and longtime volunteer.
Michael O’Neil
Mike O’Neil started as a tenor drummer in the City of Sacremento Pipe Band in 1994, and joined the Prince Charles Pipe Band in 1996. He helped Prince Charles win the Grade 2 World Pipe Band Championship in 2000, as well as Best Bass Section. He went on to help win the Grade 2 World Pipe Band Championship with Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band in 2006, and currently plays with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.
Mike was Champion of MHAF’s Gold Medal Tenor Drumming contest in 2005 and 2006, and runner-up in 2007.
Johnny Rowe
After successful development as a snare drummer on the Maritime Canadian solo circuit, Johnny Rowe joined the Grade 2 Halifax Police Pipe Band in 1990, and began his bass drumming career. The band won the Grade 2 North American Championships, including Best Bass Section honors. John continued playing with Halifax into their new Grade 1 existence as The 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipe Band.
A musician of eclectic tastes (including piobaireachd!), John took a hiatus of two years from the band world to concentrate on kit playing with various rock bands.
By 2004, John was back into action with the 78th Fraser Highlanders in Toronto, and in 2007 helped win Best Drum Corps and Best Bass Section at the World Pipe Band Championships.
Doug Stronach
Doug Stronach is one of North America's top players and educators. He is a World Junior Solo Snare Drum Champion and winner of the Scottish, British and European Championships. He is currently the leading drummer of the Toronto Police Pipe Band, winner of two Grade 1 North American Drum Corps Awards. He is the author of five books on pipe band drumming and a regular contributor to pipesdrums.com. Doug has played and taught many clinics throughout the world including Canada, USA, South Africa, Chile, France, Germany, Sicily, and the UK. He is also an accredited judge and Music Board Member of the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario, and frequently judges contests throughout Canada and the USA. He holds the highest level of certificate in drumming from the combined Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, The Army School of Piping and Drumming and the Institute of Piping, known collectively as the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board.
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