Cascadia Pipe Band
| Cascadia Pipe Band | |
|---|---|
Cascadia Pipe Band at the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Established | 2021 |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Grade | 2 |
| Pipe major | Patrick Downing |
| Drum sergeant | Steven Wheeler |
| Tartan | Ancient Hunting MacMillan |
| Website | cascadiapipeband |
The Cascadia Pipe Band is a Grade 2 pipe band based in Seattle, Washington. It is led by pipe major Patrick Downing and leading-drummer Steven Wheeler.
History
The Cascadia Pipe Band was formed in 2021 by four friends; Patrick Downing, Kyle Gaul, Matt Maier, and Aaron Stone; with the shared goal of forming a competitive Grade 3 pipe band based in Seattle, and beginning to compete in 2022. After attracting some more members, the band had a successful 2022 season, competing in the BC Pipers' Association competition circuit, and being promoted to Grade 2 for the 2023 season.[1] This made Cascadia the first Grade 2 pipe band in Washington since the old City of Seattle Pipe Band, which disbanded in 1990.[2] Since being promoted to Grade 2, the band has won the BCPA Grand Aggregate award in every one of its seasons.[3]
The band travelled to the Pleasanton Highland Games in 2023 and 2024; the Chicago Highland Games in 2024; and the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in 2025, finishing in 7th place in a class of 21 Grade 2 bands.[4][5]
In 2024, Cascadia created a Grade 4 development band to help develop talent in the Pacific Northwest.[4]
Personnel
The band is led by pipe major Patrick Downing, who is one of the band's founders. Before founding Cascadia, Downing was a long-time member of the Vancouver-based Triumph Street Pipe Band. Steven Wheeler took over as leading-drummer in 2023. Before joining the band, Wheeler played in the Grade 1 City of Dunedin Pipe Band for two years and led the Grade 2 Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band before that.[6] Although the band is based in Seattle, it has several Canadian members from Vancouver, who commute to band practice bi-weekly.[7]
References
- ^ "Pipe Band Spotlight: Cascadia Pipe Band". BC Pipers' Association. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ "Kilt cause: two-year-old Grade 2 Cascadia crowdfunding for a uniform tartan". pipes|drums. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ "BC Pipers' Association: Grand Aggregate Winners". BC Pipers' Association. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ a b "Cascadia Pipe Band: History". Cascadia Pipe Band. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ "207 bands entered for 2025 World Championships as draw revealed". pipes|drums. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ "Cascadia appoints Steven Wheeler leading-drummer as Amber Stone steps down". pipes|drums. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ^ "North American scene so far unaffected by US-Canada tension". pipes|drums. 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2026-01-29.