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Celtic Kula Contacts & Bios

Contacts
Email: CelticKula@gmail.com
Message Phone: 808 762-8326

Kim Greeley - Pipe Major

Starting in childhood, Pipe Major Greeley is committed to learning the art of the Great Highland Bagpipes. Having studied under Aggie Wallace and Piper to the Sovereign,Pipe Major Alec MacDonald, she continues to study under world class pipers, including Gold Medalist Jori Chisholm. As the creator of the Annual Aggie Wallace Memorial Piping and Drumming Competition and founding member of Celtic Kula Pipe Band, she never passes up an opportunity to work with other pipers to improve their skills. Her musical direction provides challenging music and events for Celtic Kula Pipe Band.

Melanie Brown - Pipe Sergeant

Piping since 2002, Melanie Brown started with the Stroller White Pipes and Drums in Juneau, Alaska under Pipe Major Laurie Gardner and world class instructor Ken Eller. She played with SWPD for many years and was at times Pipe Sargent and Band President. Moving to Hawai'i in 2014, she joined the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaii in 2015 and was Band Vice President. She is now a founding member of Celtic Kula Pipe Band of Hawai'i, established in October 2018. She is the secretary/treasurer and Pipe Sergeant of CKPBH. In addition, she is a member of the competition bands Detroit Highlanders Pipe Band and the Hawai'i Caledonian Pipe Band. With retirement from a 32-year career with the Federal government, she can spend time piping and attending piping workshops with more world class instructors, including Jori Chisholm and Jack Lee. She looks forward to playing great music and keeping the piping traditions growing through performances, competition, and teaching.

Brian Lynx - Piper

Brian pic

If you’d have asked me write a bio about my piping career 3 years ago, I would have thought that person might be clearly out of their mind! My piping story is short! Having grown up in England and Scotland, being married over a Blacksmith Anvil in Kircudbright in traditional Scottish Highland attire 13 years ago, I guess that adding bagpipes to ‘the outfit’ just seemed natural and when COVID hit the world, it finally gave me the opportunity to learn this wonderful and inspiring instrument. I graduated in 84’ from London’s Royal College of Music with an associate degree in Light Music. I have had the privilege of playing for royalty in Londons Royal Albert Hall, performing many times on TV and even recording a record. My 2nd favorite instrument is the trumpet. Bagpipes has become my first love. I am now Lieutenant Piper in the Isle of Maui Pipe Band and that was my first ever pipe band that I was adopted by in March 2020 under the leadership of Pipe Major Allison Jackson and after moving to Oahu in March 2021, was proud to join the Celtic Kula Pipe Band under the leadership of Major Kim Greeley. Lastly, I enjoy ‘most’ every moment of playing Pipe music and if anyone reading this wants to play music that can literally make your heart swell and produce tears of happiness (mostly), then join this merry band of men and women and play on, it’s only 9 notes! Slainte.

Mark - Piper

Mark has played with the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawai'i, Honolulu Pipes and Drums (under Pipe Majors Rich Adams, Glenn Stewart and Craig MacDonald) and was Pipe Major for the Hawaiian Thistle Pipe Band. Besides being a member of Celtic Kula Pipe Band of Hawai'i, he is also an associate member of Isle of Maui Pipe Band. In the past, Mark played with Salt Lake Scots PB, Irish Heritage PB (Antioch CA), and competed with MacMillan PB at grade 3 with Chris Hamilton as Pipe Major. Supported by a scholarship from the Caledonia Society of Hawai'i, Mark spent 4 weeks at the College of Piping in Glasgow, Scotland. He also trained for5 weeks at CFB Borden, Canadian Army School of piping under Pipe Major Sandy Dewar, has had multiple attendance at Coeur d'Alene summer school of piping w/ instruction from, Ed Chilton, Alan Walters, Kim Chisholm, Graham Davidson and Albert Duncan; and is a regular participant in the annual Jack Lee work shop on Maui.

AJ Striffler - Piper

AJ is currently a US Navy Chaplain who is stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. He is originally from New York (City), and has lived all over the US. After many, many years studying classical music and playing the viola in College and Community orchestras, he switched to GHBs in 2016. He’s attended a few years of the Balmoral School of Piping and Drumming summer sessions in East Stroudsburg, PA, and loves making music with friends. He even enjoys composing pieces for GHB from time to time!

Alexander Graham IV (Sandy) - Piper

Some part of me always wanted to play the pipes, but I didn’t get started until much later in life. My late grandmother had gifted me a chanter when I was younger, and at some point I got up the nerve to look up the nearest band to where I lived, reach out, and even show up with that chanter in tow. I was quite fortunate that the closest band was Ulster Scottish (in the Philadelphia region), who were quite rigorous in their piping standards. I joined the lower-level band, traveled to many competitions, but moved after a few years and lack of nearby bands and the busy-ness of life intervened. I was happy (and a little surprised) to find pipe bands in Hawai‘i, and am now working to get both my pipes and my piping back in shape.