Kevin Darmadi
Kevin Darmadi (Music B.A., ‘24) is a musician based in Texas, and one of the rising competitive bagpipers in the United States. He began playing in elementary school at nine years old, and started competing at ten. Now, Kevin competes in the Professional grade and has played at premier competitions in the U.S., Canada, and Scotland as both a soloist and pipe band member. He has learned from prominent instructors, such as Mike Cusack, Lyric Todjill, Nick Hudson, and Ian K. McDonald, and has received notable awards from the U.S. Piping Foundation, the MSR North American Championships, the Scottish Piping Society of London, among others.
In his NEXT thesis project, Kevin explores how each Celtic nation’s music impacts its communities and fosters a sense of national identity. Through a recital performed on the bagpipes and fiddle, Kevin shared music from Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, and Asturias to highlight the relationship between music and community in the Celtic nations. Kevin also incorporates the development of his identity as a bagpiper, as he was inspired to maintain a strong sense of discipline when playing his instrument, but also encouraged to search for his own personal style and add a twist to his performance style.
