Sometimes it takes a solo to really figure out what’s going on with all those incredible pipers we see at Remembrance Day ceremonies and other special events around the lakecity.
The Ceilidh held at the Elks Hall in November showcased the talents of the Williams Lake Pipe Band as a whole and in several solo and small group performances.
Among the soloists was Cst. Mike Berns, who literally caused jaws (this one for sure) to drop upon hearing his extraordinary playing.
Mike says the solo set he played at the Ceilidh was composed of a traditional slow Air called the Dark Isle which he re-arranged to incorporate a number of “slurs” and “false fingering” to add to the haunting melody.
“The Air was then followed by a fast-paced jig that required rapid changes from the top hand to the bottom and the set finished with a Hornpipe that is a variation of a traditional tune called the Banjo Breakdown,” Berns says.
To the untrained ear, all I knew was that I was hearing something special, and when I inquired about his training the reason became clear.
He started playing the bagpipes at age 12 with the Legion Pipe Band in Campbell River and developed as a piper to perform nationally and internationally.
“I started playing because I wanted to do something different that incorporated some of my family’s Scottish background,” Berns says.
“As a young kid I was always captivated by the pipe bands in the parades that I saw and the lone pipe at Remembrance Day.
“I wanted to be that lone piper.”
He developed his piping skills in the Army Cadet Program playing with various military bands and receiving instruction from top level military players.
In 1995 he toured France, Belgium and the Netherlands with a group from the Canadian Scottish Regiment Association and cadets.
“I was the piper for the tour and played at all of the major Battle Honour sites of the Regiment including Juno Beach, Dieppe, Ypres, Vimy Ridge and Wagenborgen.”
By the age of 16 Berns had worked his way through the solo competition circuit, achieving Grade 1 standing, the highest level of non-professional competition.
In 1998 he was awarded the Lt. General Quinn Award for being the Top Cadet Pipe Band Musician in Canada.
In 1999 he was selected to attend an international exchange to Scotland where he toured some of Scotland’s most notable bagpiping venues including the Oban Invitational and the Inverness Highland Gathering.
In December of 2000, Berns says he fell in love with his “Prairie Girl” and decided to move from Campbell River to Regina to be near her.
In 2001 and he started playing with the City of Regina Pipe Band, a Grade 2 level band, where his skills were challenged and honed under Pipe Major Iain MacDonald.
In 2003, immediately after marrying his Prairie Girl Irene (nee Giroux), the young couple headed for Maxville, Ontario where Mike competed with the City Of Regina Pipe Band in the North American Pipe Band Championships.
“I took my new wife along for the trip and to this day I still owe her a new honeymoon,” Mike says.
After that he worked with the cadet program, going on to run the National Army Cadet Pipe Band program comprised of the top Army Cadet pipe band musicians from across Canada.
Then in 2007 he joined the RCMP and was posted to Williams Lake where he has worked on and off with the Williams Lake Pipe Band until the beginning of 2013 when he found more time to dedicate to the band.
Mike and Irene, who Mike describes as a “wonderful, hard working and talented stay at home mom,” now have two children Sienna, 5, and Thomas, 2.
Despite their busy home and work lives, both Irene and Mike are also active leaders with the 3064 Rocky Mountain Ranger Army Cadets in Williams Lake.
Since his arrival in the lakecity Mike has played on and off with the Williams Lake Pipe Band and at the beginning of 2013 was able to free up more time for the band.
“Now I enjoy playing with them and helping them develop as a pipe band,” Mike says.
“I have recently become affiliated with the E Division RCMP Pipe Band and this Remembrance Day I played as the lone piper at the Cenotaph wearing the RCMP Highland Uniform.”
He says anyone can learn to the play the bagpipes or one of the pipe-band drums.
“As with any musical instrument you need dedication and the willingness to learn,” Mike says.
“Bagpipes require a huge amount of concentration because of all the different things you’re doing while you’re playing, from blowing into the bagpipe, to playing the proper notes and at the proper tempo.”
Anyone interested in learning to play the bagpipes is welcome to come to the local legion basement hall on Tuesdays 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to see what it’s all about.
“Being a bagpiper has allowed me to travel and see the world when I wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise,” Mike says.
Mike will also be performing a solo and in concert with the Williams Lake Pipe Band at the Robbie Burn’s Night celebrations coming up at the legion on Saturday, Jan. 25.