Three Wooster pipers compete in campus-hosted pipe and drum competition

Three pipers from The College of Wooster competed in the Ohio Valley Indoor Piping and Drumming Competition hosted March 28 through 29 on the Wooster campus. Bowen Ault ’25, Isabelle Hogan ’28, and Hannah Bopp ’28 were among the approximately 100 solo competitors across varying grade levels of skill in piping and drumming. Sixteen pipe bands from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky, also competed.

Ault, a global and international studies major with a minor in music, and Bopp, a biology major competed in Grade 3, and Hogan, a biochemistry and molecular biology major and music minor, competed in Grade 1 and Grade 2. Each earned a third place or higher in at least one event. Grade 1 is the highest skill level and Grade 5 is the most novice level. Events included 2/4 March, Strathspey and Reel (dance music), and Piobaireachd, “Our version of classical music,” said Palmer Shonk ’10, adjunct instructor of music for bagpipes at Wooster.

Wooster has hosted the event since 2018. “This was our biggest year yet in terms of bands, with some bands traveling several hours to play for a few minutes in front of a panel of judges,” Shonk said. “We had one of the best bands in the U.S., a Grade 2 band from Cleveland named Great Lakes Pipe Band.”

By hosting the competition, Wooster further cements its place in the region as a destination for Scottish Arts activities. “The event also helps young bagpipe players who visit campus see and appreciate the College as a place where their skills in the Scottish Arts are valued,” Shonk said. Andrew Donlon ’14 and Victor Frank ’85, two Wooster alumni who were involved in the program as students were on the judging panel.

Students who compete perform music for judges and get feedback that is different from Shonk’s as their instructor. “I always believe in hearing different perspectives as a student,” he said. “If they hear the same critique from me and a judge, then it’s something they definitely need to work on.”

Ault, who started playing bagpipes in the fifth grade, believes that participating in competitions is part of being a good bagpiper. “Wearing the Wooster MacLeod Tartan shows that Wooster is a place that produces good bagpipers,” he said. “Having three pipers all competing in solo competitions and all winning a medal is a good showing for The College of Wooster.”

For Hogan, who has played the bagpipe since she was nine years old in the Massachusetts and New York region, the competition was her first in the Midwest. “It was nice to see new faces and meet new people and people who I have heard about but never had the chance to meet until now,” she said. “It is great to represent the college in an event like this and hopefully get some new pipers and drummers interested in Wooster and its Scottish arts program.”

Ault has gained significant leadership experience as pipe major of Wooster’s pipe band. “The opportunity to lead the football team onto the field is one of my favorite parts about being in the pipe band here and one of the most exhilarating things I have done,” Ault said, noting how the competition helps Wooster’s students recognize the meaning and value behind the Scottish heritage on campus, adding, “It puts Wooster on the radar of the bagpiping community.”

Featured image: Wooster pipers, Isabelle Hogan ’28, Bowen Ault ’25, and Hannah Bopp ’28 competed in the Ohio Valley Indoor Piping and Drumming Competition hosted on the Wooster campus.

Posted in News on April 25, 2025.