Sense the humour

Occasionally my piping gigs are a bit more relaxed, and I have a chance to have a little fun with things. The quarterly Art Institute of Seattle graduations at Benaroya Hall are among those. It's a fun occasion, the faculty, administration and students are all upbeat and having a good time, and I feel very comfortable in the hall, having produced the Masters of Scottish Arts concert there for 7 years and played on the stage another handful of times.

So I decided when I was introduced this time, with all the people taking pictures of me, that I'd take one of them for a change. Here 'tis.

What is a Luminaria?

The American Cancer Society holds fundraising events called Relay For Life. For the last 4 or 5 years I've played at a handful of them each year. The event lasts 24 hours with people who've taken pledges to walk around a local high school track.

I'll be playing at the Redmond-Kirkland Relay at Redmond High School at 10 pm on Saturday June 7.

The Luminaria ceremony takes place after dark. The track is lined with lanterns made of paper bags with candles in the bottom, called luminaria. Following some speakers and perhaps a story from a cancer survivor or family member of someone who lost the fight, I play the pipes, leading all the participants around the track.

It's impossible not to be moved by this ceremony. Some people very close to me have survived cancer, others have not been so fortunate. So being part of this is always an incredible honor for me and a way for me pay homage to others.

Follow the links above if you're interested in taking part.