Biography of

Richard Scott Blair

Richard Scott Blair, MEd, PhD, began piping lessons at age thirteen in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, USA and later studied with Pipe Major John Wilson of the Argyle & Sutherland Highland Regiment, Ontario, Canada. He has been a member or Pipe Major of numerous pipe bands since he began piping, as military service in the U. S. Air Force brought him to many areas of the United States.

At eighteen, he was selected as soloist for the United States Air Force Pipe Band. He travelled on world-wide concert tours, played at the White House in Washington, D.C. and for European heads of state. He performed at the famed Edinburgh Military Tattoo and before the Royal Family in London. These experiences led to a degree in music and a lifelong involvement in performance and instruction of piping and choral music. After receiving a commission, he was officer in charge of the U.S. Air Force Pipe Band, the group which performed for President Kennedy's funeral. He was a music department faculty member at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, and was the original piping instructor of the Peary High School Pipe Band (now Rockville H.S.) in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, which included choral and dance groups.

Currently he presents traditional highland piping repertoire in a number of different settings, including weddings, funerals, and for numerous military occasions in the Washington. D.C. area. Programs are varied for a wide range of ages and situations. He has taught many pipers throughout the United States, and has judged piping at highland games there. He is very interested in the liturgical use of pipes, and performs for church services, many with organ accompaniment. He appeared in the Francis Ford Coppola Film, "Gardens of Stone," released in 1987. His piping has been featured by the The Learning Channel (TLC) production "Inside the Inferno", first scheduled for Monday, May 24, 1999 (9:00 PM EST).

In 1994 through 1998, he performed at the White House St. Patrick's reception for the Prime Minister of Ireland, during presidential peace initiatives for Ireland. Dr. Blair was commissioned to compose the commemorative march, "Bicentennia," for the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Public Health Service. An anthem, entitled, " I Am the Living Water,"© for choir, organ and highland pipes, has been published, featuring words by (Mrs.) Karin Blair, and music by Richard Blair. His instrument is a Robertson pipe of silver and ivory, made for him in Edinburgh in 1957.

         Richard S. Blair
         105 Balmoral Drive East
         Oxon Hill, Maryland 20745-1014
         Phone: (301) 567-2203
         e-mail: pipetune@tidalwave.net

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