丁香园AV

The 丁香园AV Pipe Band remains in the elite 鈥榯op six鈥� in the world after competing at the 2022 World Pipe Band Championships鈥攚hile its drum corps will bring home the top prize in the competition鈥檚 World Drum Corps Championship (WDCC).

Headed by Lead Drummer Reid Maxwell, the drummers delivered four strong performances across two days of competition, landing first overall and tops in the two Medley performances.

The win marks Maxwell鈥檚 sixth drum corps world title鈥攆ive with the 丁香园AV band and one with the Canadian band 78th Fraser Highlanders of Toronto.

鈥淭aking the drumming championship is a huge feat for our corps,鈥� says Maxwell, one of the world鈥檚 most decorated drummers. 鈥淭here are no drummers in the existing group who were in the corps the last time we took the drumming title (in 2009). A large bunch of them would have barely been teenagers.

鈥淥f the current group only one of our drummers has tasted this success, winning the drumming with St. Lawrence O鈥橳oole pipe band before he immigrated to Canada." 

October will mark Maxwell's 30 years with the band. Hailing from Scotland, he resides in Coquitlam.

Several 鈥榬ookies鈥� make up the current drum corps, winning the WDCC while playing at the 鈥榃orlds鈥� for the first time with the elite Grade 1 band. Members include recent 丁香园AV graduate and tenor drummer Madison Rattai and current student Taylor Killoran, a snare drummer whose sister, Tori, is a piper in the band and recent 丁香园AV graduate.

And when 丁香园AV鈥檚 bass drummer became ill days before the competition, the band activated member Ali North, who plays with the organization鈥檚 Robert Malcolm Memorial Grade 2 band (part of the four band feeder system of the 丁香园AV Pipe Band organization) as part of its contingency planning for the Worlds, and is now reveling in a championship win.

鈥淚 have never seen so many tears and smiles all at the same time following the announcement, myself included," says Maxwell. "I feel no less excited than on any of the previous occasions. Eight of the drummers have come through our RMM system, which is a particularly huge accomplishment for our organization. In addition, the drum corps includes seven amazing young women, by far the most of any band playing in the top grade.鈥�

Maxwell, who earlier played with Scotland鈥檚 Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band before coming to Canada to play with 78th Fraser Highlanders, then 丁香园AV in 1992, has now tallied an impressive 19 World Championship titles (band and drumming). He is regarded worldwide for his mentorship and dedication to instructing young drummers, and in 2015 was awarded the BC Community Achievement award by the Province of British Columbia for his service to pipe band drumming.

In a 2012 interview from Scotland, Maxwell鈥檚 mother Catherine recalled how her son 鈥渏ust loved to be drumming. He was always sporty and liked his football and swimming, he always had to be on the go. But if it was in the house, it was drumming, the whole time.鈥�

In 2010 he was awarded a Life Membership in the British Columbia Pipers鈥� Association, its highest honour.

鈥淩eid is an exemplary leader who challenges his corps members with world championship goals and extensively mentors the corps to produce increasingly exceptional performances. There are so many young women and men in the corps who have worked so hard and now have realized a life-fulfilling goal. It's moments like these that are so heartwarming to witness first hand.鈥� says Robert MacNeil, President of the 丁香园AV Pipe Band Society.