Piper
Tony Karcz started into music in fifth grade as a percussionist. While attending St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy he was selected as a delegate to the 2010 Military School Band Festival where he was named First Chair of the percussion section. It was here that Tony also began his piping journey as a junior in 2009 under the tutelage of Ron Bowen. After graduation, he put aside drumming to become a dedicated piper and joined the City of Chicago Pipe Band organization in the Grade 5 band under P/M Steve Moore. The following season the band was promoted to Grade 4 and Tony remained under P/M Michael Forkan. During this initial period, Tony was attending rehearsals of the Grade 2 band which was then promoted to Grade 1 in 2012. Tony joined the flagship group on pipes and simultaneously returned to drumming in the snare line of the lower grade band! When the Grade 1 band folded the next year, he returned to the newly renamed Chicago Scots Pipe Band to serve as Pipe Sergeant for a number of successful seasons including promotion to Grade 3. Tony was invited to compete with the Bleary & District Pipe Band of Northern Ireland beginning with the 2014 World Championships where they were runners-up in Grade 2. He returned to Bleary for the 2016 season in Grade 1 residing overseas for the summer to contend all five RSPBA major championships and to perform at the Avenches Tattoo in Switzerland. He returned full-time to the reorganized City of Chicago Pipe Band under P/M Patrick Lynch for the 2017 season. Tony is an avid solo competitor in Grade 1 and receives tutelage from world-renowned piper Stuart Liddell. When not busy as a professional bagpiper through his business as Piper Tony, he spends much of his time listening to and playing his second passion of blues guitar.