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Sean McKeown

Sean began piping in 1993 with lessons from Gail Brown. Years later, he received tuition from Bill Livingstone in Piobaireachd, and has recently been receiving instruction from Roddy MacLeod. Some notable solo prizes include winning the Canadian Gold Medal and Bar to the Gold for Piobaireachd; the overall winner of the Livingstone Invitational three times; winning a 1st and 2nd in the Silver Medal for Piobaireachd at Oban and Inverness in the same year, and two 2nd placings in the following year at the Gold Medal at Oban and Inverness; winning the Golden Axe for piobarieachd and the light music at the Lochaber Gathering; winning the A-grade Hornpipe and Jig at Inverness; and numours prizes in the A-grade light music at Oban and Inverness. In pipe bands, Sean was a member of the Milton Optimist Pipe Band, led by Gail Brown, who went on to win the 1994 Juvenile and 1997 Grade 3 World Pipe Band Championships. He was a member of the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, and the Toronto Police Pipe Band, where he was Pipe Major of the grade 1 band from the 2015-2018 seasons.

In 2016 and 2017, Sean was invited to take part in the '87 Live in Ireland concerts held in Glasgow and Belfast, and in 2019 joined the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band in Northern Ireland, placing second in the World Pipe Band Championships in 2019, and 2023, and winning the title of Grade 1 Pipe Band World Champions in 2022.

Outside of competition, Sean has performed live and recorded his compositions with a ceilidh band called the Tartan Terrors, and performed live with Bryan Adams, Natalie MacMaster, and his brothers' rock band, Black Pistol Fire. Sean has a Physical Health and Education degree from the University of Toronto and works as a Detective Constable in the Gun and Gang Task Force with the Toronto Police. He is incredibly grateful to have the support of his amazing wife, Amy, and kids Charlie and Isla on his piping journey, and equally supports them as they start their own piping and highland dance journey’s