At six years old, Anna saw a performance by an established female bagpiper and thought to herself, “This is it. This is what I want to do.”
After her local juvenile pipe band told her she was “too young” and asked her to return in a few years, Anna only became more determined to play the pipes. “I was a determined little girl, so they ended up accepting me early.”
Nearly 20 years later, Anna has become a well-established piper herself. She plays residency shows at popular live music spots in Edinburgh like Brewhemia and Stramash, travelling all over Scotland showcasing herself as a modern face in traditional Scottish music.
Often the only girl among a group of boys in piping competitions, Anna continually inspires women and young girls to pursue their dreams.
“I just want to promote girls in piping – that’s my goal,” Anna says.
For 200 years after the inception of solo piping competitions, it was illegal for women to participate. It wasn’t until just 50 years ago that women were allowed to compete on an equal footing with male pipers.
“It’s so nice to hear mums say to me, ‘Oh, my daughter saw you play, and she wants to learn bagpipes now’,” Anna says.
Although Anna began her piping career surrounded by women, her juvenile group was 70% female and 30% male; this gender balance is not typically reflected in the bagpiping industry.
“I was very lucky to have lots of girls around me at the start of my piping career,” she says. “That fizzles out when you get to your older years. When girls turn 18, they often decide to pursue other career paths.”
Anna added that it can feel intimidating for young girls to continue playing when the bagpipes are considered a “male instrument”.
“You have girls who maybe want to play, but they just see their dad or brother playing the pipes, which can feel off-putting.”
Anna is studying traditional Scottish bagpipe music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is also the main piper in the Rollin’ Drones, a Scottish bagpipe pop band redefining the instrument by performing renditions of popular rock and pop songs.
Although watching the Rollin’ Drones perform seems effortless, Anna says performing on a stage did not come easy to her.
“I was so nervous when I first performed with them. I didn’t know how to have fun with the bagpipes.”
As an audience member at one of their shows, dancing and singing along to hits like Shania Twain’s You’re Still the One or Bryan Adams’ Heaven, you would never think this is the case.
“Being able to say that piping is my full-time job is surreal,” says Anna. “I hope to keep promoting piping and the creative side of it to more girls.”
Check out our other innovator stories: Dr Yola Jones and Zain Rishi
