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Patricia Murray
 Summerside’s own Patricia Murray began studying classical music in her elementary school years, and as a teenager, got her first exposure to Celtic music through The College. She was particularly drawn to the Scottish Gaelic song tradition, and, after a few years of study, became the featured vocalist of The College’s touring ensemble, performing at large scale venues such as Charlottetown’s Confederation Centre and Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall.
In 1996, Patricia became the first Canadian ever to win the Silver Pendant Award-the highest award for learners of Gaelic song, presented annually at a prestigious competition held in Scotland. This astonishing achievement reinforced her determination to pursue Celtic vocal music as a career. Having just completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Music at Halifax’s Dalhousie University, Patricia enrolled in the Master’s of Celtic Studies program at the University of Toronto which she completed in 2000.
Patricia currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia and works full-time as a touring musician and recording artist. She has been a regular performer at The College, has a busy touring schedule with bookings across North America and has released three solo CD’s, "Welcome To Prince Edward Island" ( 2005), "Primrose" (2001) and "Portraits" (1998). Patricia has been nominated for two East Coast Music Awards at the 2006 ECMA’s for her most recent album "Welcome To Prince Edward Island". She appears on three volumes of The College’s "Ancestral Voices" CD series.
Iain Speirs
 Iain is from Edinburgh, Scotland and is the third generation of pipers in the Speirs family. Iain’s father is Tom Speirs, an Inverness Gold Medallist (1980) and Clasp (1983) winner. His grandfather, Jock Speirs, was Pipe Major in the London Scottish and of the Johnnie Walker’s Pipe Band.
In the late 1980s, Iain came to a piping summer school in Ontario, where he first received instruction from Scott MacAulay. Iain, along with his brother Gregor, started coming over to The College of Piping summer schools in the early 1990's. Iain was a member of The College of Piping Pipe Band which won the 1994 Grade 3 North American Championships. In 1995, Iain assumed the role of Pipe Major and led The College of Piping Pipe Band to a repeat win of the Grade 3 North American Championships.
Iain has been a consistent prize winner at Highland Games in both Scotland and Canada. In 2002, he won the Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering. Among other prizes, Iain has won the Silver Chanter on three occasions, the Dunvegan Medal and the Marches at Oban.
Iain is a former member of both the Grade 1 Lothian and Borders Police Pipe Band in Edinburgh and the now defunct Clan MacFarlane Pipe Band from St. Catharine’s, Ontario. Iain was taught originally by Jack D. Crichton and now receives tutoring from Donald MacPherson, MBE.
Iain works and resides in Edinburgh, Scotland with his wife Susanne whom he met in Summerside and their daughter, Annie and son, John.
John MacPhee
 John started piping at age eight and was one of the first Island-based students to enroll at The College where he was tutored by Scott MacAulay. John quickly reached the top of amateur piping, winning the 1997 and 1998 North American Amateur Piobaireachd Championship and the overall award at the 1997 Nicol-Brown Invitational Chalice. From 1998 to 1999, John moved to Edinburgh to study with Tom and Iain Speirs and play with the Scottish Power Pipe Band. John’s competitive record in Scotland included fifth in the 1998 Cowal Gathering Senior Piobaireachd against the world’s foremost players and second prize at the 1999 MacGregor Memorial Contest in Oban. Perhaps his most notable award during these years was the 1998 YTV Achievement Award for Young Canadian Instrumentalist of the Year. John was not only the first piper, but also the first Atlantic Canadian to win this award.
In 2001, John began playing full-time with Celtic fusion group Slainte Mhath and has since played over 300 shows in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators across North America and Europe. In 2002, the band released their second album, BA, which was signed by the independent label Maple Music. Slainte Mhath was nominated for three East Coast Music Award in 2003 and several awards abroad including a British Broascasting Corpotion Folk Award in 2002 - the second Canadian group ever to receive such a nomination. John continues to pursue his music while studying kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Michael Linkletter
 Michael is the descendant of a Scottish Loyalist family that came to Prince Edward Island in 1784 and established the community that still bears their name to this day. Family heritage was, in large part, responsible for Michael’s decision to pursue playing the pipes and by age 15, he was a member of Summerside’s Caledonia Pipe Band. When The College opened two and a half years later, the Caledonia Pipe Band became The College of Piping Pipe Band and Michael began studying under Scott MacAulay. An excellent player, Michael captured the North American Amateur Champion title in 1994 and was one of the first assistant piping instructors hired by The College as its programs expanded in the early years.
In 1995, Michael received a BA in Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. His strong academic standing earned him a full scholarship to Harvard University to study at the doctoral level in the Department of Celtic Languages and Literature. In 2001, Michael accepted a position in the Celtic Studies Department at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, as the first holder of the Ben Alder Chair in Celtic Studies. Michael continues to be a lecturer at St. Francis Xavier University. He finished working on his Doctoral dissertation at Harvard University in the spring of 2006.
Matt MacIssac
 Matt MacIssac’s very first lessons took place in July, 1990, at the first summer school held by The College of Piping. He entered solo competition less that a year later and for the next eight seasons he consistently placed at the top of his competing category, often the leader on aggregate season points across the Maritimes.
In 1997, under the tutelage of Scott MacAulay at The College, Matt entered professional competition and, in the fall, competed in Scotland for the first time. He won many prizes including the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd Contest and the 17-and -Under Light Music prestigious Silver Medal Contests in Oban and Inverness the following year, where he place first and second respectively, as well as winning both the Grade B March and Stathspey/Reel contests at Inverness. With these stunning results, Matt, at age eighteen had achieved more than most players do in a lifetime.
In the fall of 1999, Matt took his music in a new direction by going on tour with Nova Scotia Celtic group Cullin. In 2001, he was recruited by Natalie MacMaster to be part of her stage show, a position he still holds. Today, Matt is a full-time multi-instrumentalist-proficient on Highland pipes and smallpipes, whistles, banjo, guitar, piano and percussion. Matt MacIsaac recently released his own solo recording entitled "Matt MacIsaac The Piping Album" that has drawn rave reviews and critical acclaim.
Rowan Manson
 Rowan Manson hails from Christchurch, New Zealand. Rowan has been a long-standing member of the Canterbury Caledonia Grade 1 Pipe Band, based in Christchurch, NZ. Rowan’s mother and father have been active members of the New Zealand pipe band scene for many years which led to her taking the pipes at an early age.
In 2000, Scott MacAulay acted as the Principal Teacher of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Association’s Summer School where Rowan was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend The College of Piping in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
Upon arriving in Summerside, Rowan took her first-ever lessons in piobaireachd, the classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe. Some nine months later, Rowan placed first in her class in Piobaireachd at the North American Championships in Maxville, Ontario. Rowan has been a consistent prize winner on the Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association competition circuit, dominating the senior amateur piping events. More recently, Rowan has graduated to the professional solo piping ranks and plays with the 78th Highlanders Pipe Band based at the Citadel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Andrew Hayes
 Andrew was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario and his initial instruction came from his father, the late Pipe Major Patrick Hayes. He began studying with Scott MacAulay in 1986, and made regular visits to The College of Piping for instruction during the first five years after it opened in 1990.
Highlights of Andrews impressive solo piping career include most of the top amateur solo piping prizes in both North America and Scotland and consistent prizes in professional competitions including the Former Winner’s March, Strathspey and Reel at the Maxville Highland Games on two occasions; the “B” Grade March at Inverness in 1996. Second prize in the Silver Medal at Inverness and fifth in the Silver Medal at Oban, both in 1999; winning the best overall piper award at the 1999 Braemar Highland Gathering and best overseas piper at the Braemar Highland Gathering on three occasions.
In 2003, Andrew Hayes was admitted to the Bar of Ontario and began practicing law in Ottawa. He is currently a member of both the Ottawa Police Pipe Band and the Toronto Police Pipe Bands and is a regular prize winner at the world’s foremost competitions.
Rob Crabtree
 Rob began piping at age 10, and studied with Scott MacAulay from 1986 until 1993. After winning the North American Championship in 1980, Rob entered professional competitions and has since captured major awards including the 1998 Gold Medal for Piobaireachd at Braemar, Scotland, the 1997 North American Professional March, Strathspey and Reel Championship, and many other prizes at top contests worldwide. He is a regular performer and prize winner at the foremost international competitions.
A major goal of Rob’s career has been extending the appeal of the bagpipe to new audiences. In 1999, he released "The Piper’s Legacy", a uniquely orchestrated album of popular bagpipe music that earned a Juno nomination and reached gold status in Canada in 2002. He has three other popular albums of orchestrated bagpipe music on the market and performs live accompanied by piano, guitar, fiddle, percussion and other instruments seldom combined with the bagpipe. Rob is also a leader in the instructional arena as co-founder of one of the top bagpipe summer schools in North America and producer/co-author of the "Rhythmic Fingerwork Series" of instructional videos.
Rob lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons and works full-time as a piper and writer. His ongoing involvement with The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada includes roles as guest instructor, adjudicator, consultant and writer. Rob was recently hired as the writer for the College of Piping's 2005 production of Highland Storm.
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