Tyrone Heade is a full-time Highland Bagpiper living in Seattle.  As Cathedral Piper in Residence for St. James Cathedral, and also St. Mark’s Cathedral, he is an avid composer, competitor, and teacher of bagpipe music.   He performs solo or ensemble with either his Grandfathers turn-of-last-century Highland pipe, made by Lawrie, or with his Scottish Small Pipe.  He developed both residencies from scratch, responding to each cathedral, beginning in 1990 and 1993 respectively.  He is a founding piper of Seattle's Elliott Bay Pipe Band, and their Pipe-Major since 2003. He left his career became a full-time piper in Seattle in 1994, after having lunch with a good advisor, who said, "You should do what you love."  That advice was freely given, and well received. 

 

As a soloist, Tyrone has received regional awards in Highland Bagpipe competition in both Light Music and Piobaireachd, and remarkabley won the World Solo Amateur Championship, Piobaireachd, 2009 in Glasgow, Scotland.  His list of favored awards will be found in his Resume' located on this site.  In October 2010 he was featured as in introduction to a segment on Oprah; December  2010 welcomed Seattle's new Archbishop, the Most Reverend Peter Sartain, with an hour prelude; performed a duet with Bryan Adams at Seattle's Paramount in April 2011; and the following September performed on the Space Needle's roof in an early morning commemoration of the 9/11 attacks.

 

An avid composer of bagpipe music, Tyrone has five published tunes in Bruce Gandy's fourth volume of Contemporary and Traditional Music for the Highland Bagpipe, 2005. 

 

As an ensemble and musical director, Tyrone splits his time between two ensembles -- one he founded, and one he helped to found.  With a mission to bring strong, beautiful piping melodies blending Small pipe, cello, fiddle, guitar and bodhran, Tyrone created the acoustic ensemble Iona Abbey in 1997.  [Iona Abbey’s first CD was released in 1998 and sold out quickly, but some are available here.  Hopefully more to come!]  For the Highland pipe, Seattle's Elliott Bay Pipe Band has been a musical and instructional home to Tyrone since he was a original member in 1992.  He has been Pipe Major with Elliott Bay since 2003.  Elliott Bay placed 14th out of 25 in Grade IIIb at the World Pipe Band Championships, Glasgow, in 2005.

 

Tyrone, wife Rachael and feline Lewis were long time residents in Lower Queen Anne, Seattle, where Tyrone taught piping from their apartment home. When he isn't teaching or performing, Tyrone assists in the administration of two non-profits: the Mastery of Scottish Arts, where he has lead the development of a world-class international piping faculty each February, since 1995.  Mastery of Scottish Arts merged with the Celtic Arts Foundation, where Tyrone has served on the Board of Directors since 2008.   As mentioned earlier, he is a charter member of Seattle's Elliott Bay Pipe Band, holding executive and musical leadership positions for many years.

Most of Tyrone’s broadcast performances are several years old, but memorable none-the-less.  They include a live performance and interview on Seattle’s NPR affiliate KUOW, with Dave Beck, and other local radio; several performances broadcast on regional television news, and three episodes of Bill Nye, The Science Guy (Disney and KCTS). He has been featured in local print media, including articles and interviews in the Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times, Everett Herald, the Magnolia News and others. He has been featured on local soundtracks, and on Stanley Greenthal’s 1997 CD Turning Towards You. In 1999 he became a Voting Member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy's). 

Performance instruments include ca. 1900 Highland Bagpipes by R.G. Lawrie, ivory/German silver with wood projecting mounts, previously owned and played by Nicholas Patrick Heade, Sr., Tyrone’s grandfather; 1890 Highland Bagpipes by David Glen, silver/silver; and Scottish Small Pipes made by David Naill, Somerset, in 1996, with Victorian silver engraving. Tyrone is an actively competing member of the Washington Pipers’ Association, is a fan of the Oregon Pipers’ Society when he has the chance, and the regional governing body, the British Columbia Pipers’ Association.