George Balderose

Piper

George Balderose, a piper with more than thirty years of performing experience, teaches and performs Scottish and Irish pipe music on the Great Highland Bagpipe and various sets of bellows smallpipes. A highly regarded teacher, many of his piping students have distinguished themselves at piping competitions throughout the USA.

New York Times reviewer described George as having a "virtuoso's gift" and in the words of another he is a "virtuosic piper". In competition he has won the Grade One trophy at the Ligonier Highland Games four times, three consecutively. During the 1990's he performed as a soloist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, and four times as a guest artist in concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony at Heinz Hall. He has also appeared in concert with Tom Chapin and John McCutcheon, The River City Brass Band, ‘Brigadoon’ with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and others. His piping has been recorded on: H.K. Hilner's Dream Cathedral,; Dewar's Bagpipe Festival at the Knitting Factory; Road to the Isles’ The Way Home; on the KRB label A Celtic Christmas; with organist Ed Norman Bagpipe and Organ Selections; and Music Tree’s Bagpipe Music Selections: Great Highland Pipes and Smallpipes.

In 1978 George co-founded with Scottish Gold Medalist James McIntosh, M.B.E., and currently serves as instructor and executive director of the Balmoral School of Piping, a non-profit corporation that each summer produces educational sessions in bagpiping at four to five universities across the USA.

In 1980 George was awarded a fellowship from the Clan Donald Trust to travel to Scotland and study for a Senior Certificate in Piping from the College of Piping in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1984 George founded, directed, and served as piping instructor for Scottish Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV. Since 1989 he has been a member of the Pennsylvania Governor's Heritage Affairs Commission's Traditional and Ethnic Arts Touring Program.