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Welcome to ursapiper.com. Here you can find information about Maine's best highland bagpiper. On our home page, we feature news updates about Ursa Beckford and the piping and drumming community. 

So, what's Ursa been up to?

Ursa has been confirmed as an instructor for the 2012 Invermark piping, drumming, and highland dancing workshop at Hunter Mt, NY. This summer will be Ursa's tenth year attending Invermark's annual summer programs. Other instructors will include Jack Lee, Willie MacCallum, Maureen Connor, Paula Glendinning, and director Donald Lindsay.  visit www.invermark.org for more information about Invermark's programs.


On December 5, 2011, Ursa became Maine's first, and only, professional piper. This distinction was awarded by the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association's Grading Committee.  The Committee is tasked with the job of determining the competitive grades of hundreds of pipers on the East Coast. Two pipers were awarded this distinction during the Grading Committee's recent meeting.  Ursa's promotion to the professional (Open) grade follows years of hard work, determination, and successful competitive results in the U.S. and abroad.  Professional is the highest grade in piping.     

Over the summer, Ursa took several trips to Europe and attended many bagpiping competitions.  Ursa went to Sweden for the 2011 World Scout Jamboree, before traveling to Scotland for the Invermark Piping Workshop on Skye and the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban.  

The Jamboree was an international gathering of about 40,000 scouts from across the globe, with lots of opportunities to meet new friends and problem-solve for our future.  The Scotland trip included Ursa's third time at the Invermark school on Skye.  After an action-packed week with amazing international instructors, Ursa went to Oban for the Argyllshire Gathering, home of the Gold and Silver Medal professional piping events.  At the gathering, Ursa competed in the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd Competition, a highly selective event for pipers under the age of 22.  Ursa was the only American to compete in this event, and one of only a hand-full of high level American pipers to play at the Gathering.

Following his placings at numerous competitions in the U.S. and Scotland, Ursa won 2011 Eastern United States Pipe Band Association Grade 1 Champion.  Grade 1 is the highest Amateur Piping Grade.  

Before traveling overseas, Ursa attended Invermark's summer program at Hunter Mt. in the Catskills of New York, where he achieved a Level 8 Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board Progressive Development Award (formerly the Institute of Piping Graduate Certificate).  This is a high level bagpipe certification, which is useful for teaching positions and other opportunities.           

In June, Ursa released his first professional CD, "Constellations."  The CD features an exciting mix of new and old music - Ursa on highland bagpipes, Brian Dyer Stewart playing keyboard, and Jamie Oshima on drums, bass, keyboard, and synthesizer.  

CDs are $20, and may be ordered by mail or phone.  Free shipping anywhere!  If ordering by mail, please send a check for $20 per CD, and a note with your address, to the following: Ursa Beckford, 123 Rebel Hill Rd, Clifton, ME, 04428, USA.  If ordering by phone, please call (207) 843-6916. Thank you and enjoy!                                                                      

For more information about Ursa, feel free to click the link below to an article published about him in the Bangor Daily News. This also includes a video of Ursa performing and talking about piping.  From the article: "You’ve probably never heard the bagpipe played as fast and dirty as Beckford does during “Thunderstruck.”

click: http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/148534.html

Or, watch Ursa play live.  See his winning March, Strathspey, and Reel performance at the 2011 Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational:


Don't just check these links, though - here Ursa in person!  See "Performance" on the left for Ursa's complete live performance schedule.


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