Bagpiper Gerald Muirhead
Gerald was born and raised in Edinburgh. He was a piper with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and learned much of his piping there. This pipe band and brass band arranged and recorded the original worldwide million-seller Amazing Grace. The recording is still available on CD.
After leaving the pipe band, he has been in high demand as a solo piper. He has played the bagpipes on top of the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, during the Edinburgh International Festival, while being filmed by the BBC.
He completed his study of piping under the tutelage of the late Pipe-Major Angus MacDonald M. B. E.
Gerald has had the honour of performing the bagpipes for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London.
He originally came to Japan because he is interested in Japanese history and culture. After coming to Japan, he has been active as a piper and teacher. He has won several top prizes in International bagpipe contests in Asia since 1992. Furthermore, he has performed for the Japanese Royal Family at a dinner party in Ginza, Tokyo.
He has recorded bagpipes for Studio Ghibli (the Japanese equivalent of Disney) for their Gedo Senki movie soundtrack in 2006. He went on to record the album Hotaru no Hikari (Universal Music Japan, 2014), which includes one of his own compositions, in collaboration with some professional folk and classical musicians.
Gerald was also asked to write an article titled; A Short History of the Highland Bagpipe for the prestigious Hamamatsu Musical Instrument Museum. Consequently, the museum published the material in their official handbook in 2015.
More recently, he has given a series of lecture-concerts for the city of Utsunomiya and at various schools in Tohoku in 2018.
After leaving the pipe band, he has been in high demand as a solo piper. He has played the bagpipes on top of the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, during the Edinburgh International Festival, while being filmed by the BBC.
He completed his study of piping under the tutelage of the late Pipe-Major Angus MacDonald M. B. E.
Gerald has had the honour of performing the bagpipes for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London.
He originally came to Japan because he is interested in Japanese history and culture. After coming to Japan, he has been active as a piper and teacher. He has won several top prizes in International bagpipe contests in Asia since 1992. Furthermore, he has performed for the Japanese Royal Family at a dinner party in Ginza, Tokyo.
He has recorded bagpipes for Studio Ghibli (the Japanese equivalent of Disney) for their Gedo Senki movie soundtrack in 2006. He went on to record the album Hotaru no Hikari (Universal Music Japan, 2014), which includes one of his own compositions, in collaboration with some professional folk and classical musicians.
Gerald was also asked to write an article titled; A Short History of the Highland Bagpipe for the prestigious Hamamatsu Musical Instrument Museum. Consequently, the museum published the material in their official handbook in 2015.
More recently, he has given a series of lecture-concerts for the city of Utsunomiya and at various schools in Tohoku in 2018.
He is a member of the Japan Scotland Association, contributing friendship, culture and education between Scotland and Japan. Also, he currently teaches English Communication and British culture at several Christian universities in Japan.
Gerald plays the bagpipes at the British Embassy for various occasions.
Gerald plays the bagpipes at the British Embassy for various occasions.
Contact :
E-mail: gerald@bagpipeworld.jp
