Ken Sutherland, a native of the Bay Area, is a highly regarded piper, teacher, adjudicator and band leader. He has been playing pipes since before the first Moon Landing (if you don’t know when that was…it was a long time ago). He is Pipe Major of the Prince Charles Pipe Band, and lead piping instructor for the PCPB Junior Band.
Ken was among the first group of kids to receive instruction from the late Bill Merriman in the Prince Charles Junior Pipe Band. In 1975 he won the Amateur Championship at Santa Rosa and began successfully competing in the Open class the following year. After a break in the mid-1980s to focus on family and career, Ken’s piping accomplishments since returning to “the Boards” in 1998 include winning the first Winter Storm US Silver Medal for Piobaireachd, placing twice in the Winter Storm US Gold Medal competition, winning the Angus MacDonald regional championship, capturing the Open Piobaireachd prize once at Portland and four times at Pleasanton, and winning the “Piper of the Day” at both the Crieff and Dornach games in Scotland.
Ken began judging in local contests in the late 1980s and has judged solo and band contests in both the US and Canada. He helped establish and promote the WUSPBA Adjudicator Development Program and has chaired the WUSPBA Music Board since 2015.