Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band

The Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band and White Heather Dancers is a nonprofit organization established in 1962 by Scottish immigrants and their families to preserve Highland traditions in Utah. Based in Salt Lake City, the band brings together pipers and drummers from across the Intermountain West and performs and competes in the western United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

History and tartan

Founding members included Myron O’Connor and the band’s first Pipe Major, Dale Bain. Dennis McMaster, who married O’Connor’s daughter Kathleen, later served as Pipe Major for 23 years. The organization continues to include multiple generations of its founding families.

The band originally wore the red Scott tartan. In 1997, Kathleen McMaster designed an exclusive tartan for the band, registered in Scotland and adopted as a symbol of its shared identity.

The Salt Lake Scots appeared in the 1968 film The Devil’s Brigade, released their first studio album in the early 1990s, and served as the official pipe band of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, leading curling competitors onto the ice. The band has also performed with The Chieftains, the Utah Symphony, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Join and learn

The band is directed by Pipe Major Christopher Johnson and managed by Ian Williams. Practices take place at the First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City.

Experienced pipers and drummers and complete beginners are welcome. The band offers free instruction to new students; contact Ian Williams for membership and lesson information.

Hire the band

Solo performers, small groups, and the full pipe band are available for weddings, corporate events, festivals, funerals, and other celebrations. The band is based in the Salt Lake City area and can discuss travel arrangements for bookings.

For availability, bookings, lessons, or membership, contact Business Manager Ian Williams.

Visit the band website