Bagpipe player to perform with the Minot City Band
Trending
This Thursday, June 29, bagpiper John Young will be performing with the Minot City Band under the direction of David Rolandson at the Arts in the City at 7 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Minot.
Young said it takes great effort to get the bagpipes in tune with a concert band since they do not commonly play in a key standard for a modern concert band.
"Being able to play this composition with a full band is an amazing experience for me as a bagpiper," said Young. The piece he is to be featured on is "Celtic Farewell" by Michael Sweeney.
Young got his first set of bagpipes as a Christmas gift from his father four years ago.
As a woodwind musician in college, learning to play the bagpipe came naturally to him.
"The challenging part for me to learn, however, is the fact that bagpipes require way more breath control and lung capacity than any other woodwind instrument I have ever played," said Young.
Shortly after learning, he joined a band called "Fez & Thistle Pipe and Drum Band" based in Bismarck. Over the past couple of years, the band performed in several parades, Shrine Circuses and Masonic Lodge events. Young began playing solo right before the COVID-19 shutdown in February 2020 and was chosen to be the featured soloist at the International Shrine Clown Association Imperial Session in San Antonio, Texas.