Matthew has been playing The Great Highland Bagpipe for over 25 Years. Crowds of all sizes have been mesmerised by the majestic moments that Matthew has created for their special occasions. His delightful sound has been heard in some of the most prestigious and well known venues across the UK. Audiences in the Royal Albert Hall, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Gardens and even the Great British Pullman steam train have been enchanted by his historic Scotia sounds.
Testament to his professionalism and quality that each performance exudes, Matthew has been in demand by famous brands such as Walkers Crisps, Sony, Panasonic, Burberry and William Grant & Sons whisky distillery. Matthew has also appeared on a range of well-known TV and Radio programmes: Chris Evan's Breakfast Show (BBC Radio 2); Absolute Radio; Made in Chelsea and The Last Leg. He has also been enrolled as a session musician with the pop band Right Said Fred. Most notably Matthew has performed live with the world renown Irish folk band The Chieftains and along side the international multi-platinum selling classical crossover group Il Divo.
Matthew is an accomplished skilled professional, highly versatile and flexible in his approach. He always works with his clients to ensure that every performance delivers the right impact for the intended audience.
Services offered:- Weddings, Corporate, Media, Birthdays, Funerals, Burns' Suppers and Other Events of your choosing.
Media:-
Matthew has appeared on a range of well-known TV and Radio programmes: Chris Evan's Breakfast Show (BBC Radio 2); Absolute Radio; Made in Chelsea and The Last Leg. He has also performed with pop band Right Said Fred, world renown Irish folk band The Chieftains and along side the international multi-platinum selling classical crossover group Il Divo.
Corporate:-
Matthew has been in demand by famous brands such as Walkers Crisps, Sony, Panasonic, Burberry and William Grant & Sons whisky distillery.
Matthew was a super star from beginning to end. So helpful before and during our wedding. Nothing was a problem
for Matthew. A superb pipe player. We would have no hesitation in recommending Matthew he is by far the best piper I have come across. Ourselves and our guests all agreed that Matthew was nothing short of brilliant!
After finding out Matthew was available to play for us at our wedding, his communication was first class. So helpful with the planning and his ability to adapt to our ever changing needs was very much appreciated. We asked Matthew to play us out of the church but we wanted it to be a surprise for all of our guests. Matthew arrived and set up far enough away from our church that no one would hear him and then crept into place at the back so quietly that even i didn't realise he was there. Matthew then played us out right on queue and proceeded to play the most beautiful selection of songs whilst we mingled with our guests and enjoyed the first moments of being married. I am still waiting for our wedding photos but will check back once received to upload a few. I honestly could not recommend Matthew highly enough. Thank you so so much!!
Matthew was brilliant from beginning to end, the music was impeccable and small touches amazing, outfit was stop on traditional and my mums face when she heard the first note made you worth every penny, thank you for playing along with the surprise.
You honestly added the touch of Scottish I need to honour my history!
Matthew responded quickly to initial request for quote to play a burial and Thanksgiving service. He arrived in plenty of time, was polite and courteous. He played exactly the right type of music to suit the occasion, both when walking through the woods to the natural burial site and later in the day outside the church. He continued to play even when the heavens opened and it poured with rain. His presence and music added just the right touch to the burial and thanksgiving service. We were delighted with his performance and would highly recommend him to anyone for a similar occasion.
"Mathew played the bagpipes at my father in laws funeral .
He made the day extra special for us all and accommodated our special requests , everyone at the wake afterwards commented on the piper
I would have no hesitation in recommending Mathew for your event"
"Matt is a very good piper and was fabulous at my Dads funeral. He is very professional and respectful. Lots of people expressed how good he was and I would definitely use him again and highly recommend him. He put that extra special touch into what was a very sad day for our family.
Thanks again Matt you gave my dads send off that very special touch
Best wishes
Christine Savage"
he helped to make our wedding special. a very pleasant, talented and professional gentleman. very easy to work with. would advise anyone requiring a bag piper to look to using matthew mcrae. thank you matthew.
"Matthew was very professional, arrived early and looked and played fantastic! Thank you for making the beginning of my son's wedding day extra special.
Definitely recommend Matthew
Thanks again"
Matthew did a fantastic job at my mother’s memorial. He patiently helped me put together the song list, played beautifully and rolled effortlessly with last minute changes to the schedule.
"Matthew was absolutely fantastic. It was my partners dream to have the bagpipes at our wedding and Matthew defiantly made that come true. He responded straight away and was professional from start to finish. His playing was brilliant and all our guests commented on how much they enjoyed the music.
Cant recommended him enough, truly made our day. Thank you."
Not sure if 5 is the top....Mathew was excellent! Beyond excellent. Prompt, polite, genial and empathetic. Worth every single penny. Thank you.
Firstly we would like to thank you for playing at our wedding. You were fantastic and the guests thoroughly enjoyed having you play
I just wanted to thank you on behalf of our Year 2 class for making our Scottish morning start so well. I have had lots of compliments about you from the parents!
We were absolutely thrilled that we chose Matthew as our bagpiper for our wedding in London. His playing was excellent, and he was extremely friendly, professional, and happy to accommodate our requests. We would highly recommend him!
Matthew was so professional, friendly and flexible in the lead up to our wedding, and on the day he really got the reception off to a cracking start with his impeccable playing. Thank you for everything Matthew.
Matthew is an excellent bagpiper. He played tunes that everyone recognised, and when he had finished playing he answered various questions about his tartan and himself which was great to hear. Myself and some other family members will be followers of Matthew from now on. I will definitely recommend him to others.
In TV things are almost always last-minute with tight time restrictions – we threw Matthew in at the deep end, turning up to a last-minute shoot to perform as a surprise for our contributor. Not only did he follow direction superbly, he was easy to communicate with, prompt, incredibly polite and easygoing. His performance was also terrific! Highly recommended for any filming purposes.
Matthew, thank you for your intrepid playing. Much enjoyed, and commented positively by many of our VIP guests that you welcomed so joyfully.
Matthew supported my golf club Burns’ evening and exceeded mine, and the 80 guests expectations. He is a very talented, and skilled piper. In the history of the golf club I am informed by the longest serving member that this Burns’ supper was the best ever.
We booked Matthew to provide music for our graduation ceremony. His contribution made a big impact at our event and lots of people made positive comments about his playing. If we require a piper in the future, I know where to look.
Services offered:- Weddings, Corporate, Media, Birthdays, Funerals, Burns' Suppers and Other Events of your choosing.
Sample of Tunes:-
Traditional:
Highland Cathedral
Maries Wedding
Highland Wedding
Angus Mackinnon
Highland Laddie
Scotland the brave
Cock of the North (Aunty Mary had a Canary)
Laras Theme
Skye Boat Song (Waltz)
Major May
Major Bobby
Liberton Polka
Craigs of Tumbledown Mountain
Bonny Galloway
Badge of Scotland
The Wedding March
I am Sailing
Man’s a Man For a’ That
Loch Lomond
Stop Your Tickling Jock
Tipperary
Mason’s Apron
Flower of the Scotland
Amazing Grace
Flowers of the Forest
Wild Mountain Thyme
Abide With Me
Danny Boy
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Hector the Hero
Dark Isle
Going Home
Mist Covered Mountains
Bells of Dunblane
Mull of Kyntyre
Auld Lang Syng
Morag of Dunvegan
Highland Cradle Song
Loch Ranoch
Can Can
Gold Ring
The Clumsy Lover
Easy Club
ItchyFingers
The Pumpkin’s Fancy
The Banjo Breakdown
Paddys Leather breaches
The Man From Skye
The Carnival Reel
Calypso Piper
The Big Burl
Cabar Feidh
Black Bear
Glasgow City Police Pipers
Contemporary:
Thin Lizzy – Whisky in the Jar
George Harrison – Here Comes the Sun
AC/DC – It’s a Long Way to the Top if you Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll
Oasis – She’s Electric
Blur – Tender
The Proclaimers – Walk 500 Miles
Pulp – Disco 2000
Rod Stewart – I Am Sailing
Happy Mondays – Step On
Faithless – Insomnia
Avicii – Wake Me Up
A Guy Called Gerald – Voodoo Ray
Jurassic Park
Harry Potter
Star Wars
Happy Birthday