Pipe Major Roddy S. MacDonald

Pipe Major Willie Cochrane

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My biography

To begin our meeting I want to thank you for your visit.

I am Pietro Malaguti. I was born on 24th of December 1955 in Bologna. Nowadays I live in the discrict of Bologna and I manage a cultural association (Associazione Culturale Aurora) with my partner and wife Simonetta Ecchia, a professional photographer.
I was working as an IT and web-marketing advisor, and also as web-designer (the website you are visiting was entirely designed by me, along with all my websites involving bagpipes and all Simonetta's ones).
I love above all teaching bagpipe and since 2004 I've been selling these instruments and accessories (see my website The Celtic Store). Usually I cooperate with Simonetta helping her with her works, as I worked as a professional photographer too, during the '80s.

When I was young I studied Law and at age of nine I attended as home school at the Bologna Academy of Music studying flute. That were great fundamentals of music theory and sense of harmony.
However my great passion since I was young was Scotland and its Great Highland Bagpipe.
In 1975 I managed to buy my first bagpipe, but I was completely a self-thaught person, because there was not a great piece of information about that instrument. My destiny changed in 1976 when I met Roderick Stewart MacDonald, son of the well-known composer William MacDonald of Benbecula, who performed with other musicians, led by the Pipe Major Willie Cochrane, during the trade fair in Bologna.
We "fell in friendship at the first sight" and since then we are still friends. Nowadays Roddy lives and works in Australia as Pipe-Major of the Queensland Police Pipe Band and senior piper of the Australian Army.

From 1977 to 1983 I attended at classes at London Scottish Piping Society with great talented pipers. Nowadays I have continuous relationships with the Glasgow College of Piping, with which I organize some intership for my students.

In 1981 I accepted my first work as piper in public events and weddings. Since then I made some great experience in more than 200 events and weddings both for Italian couples, fans of Scotland, Italian/Scottish couples, or Scottish couples. For that reason they say that I am a real professionist.

Please visit all my website and you will be really satisfied! I am the piper for the most important day of your life!

Thank you.