{{Short description|Scottish music artist}}

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Ross Ainslie | image = Treacherous Orchestra (1).jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = yes | alt = | caption = Ainslie performing with Treacherous Orchestra at TFF.Rudolstadt 2011. | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1983}} | birth_place = Perthshire, Scotland | genre = {{hlist|Scottish traditional music|Celtic fusion|World music}} | occupation = {{hlist|Musician|Composer|Multi-instrumentalist|Lecturer}} | instrument = {{hlist|Highland pipes|smallpipes|Border pipes|Whistles|Cittern}} | years_active = 2002–present | label = Great White Records | past_member_of = {{hlist|Treacherous Orchestra|Salsa Celtica|Ali Hutton|The Sanctuary Band}} | website = {{URL|rossainslie.com}} }}

'''Ross Ainslie''' (born 1983) is a Scottish traditional musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist.<ref name="TSP PressReader">{{cite web |last1=Pullar |first1=Polly |title=I was burned out. I found a beautiful place where I could totally clear my head and relax, that was the turning point. |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-sunday-post-newcastle/20220213/282574496496785 |website=The Sunday Post |via = www.pressreader.com|access-date=10 November 2025 |date=13 February 2022}}</ref> He plays highland pipes, smallpipes, border pipes, whistles and cittern, and is known for incorporating global influences including jazz, rock and Indian classical music into Scottish traditional music.<ref name="The Sunday Post 2">{{cite web |last1=Pullar |first1=Polly |title=Acclaimed piper Ross Ainslie opens up about wild tours, mental health and the loss of his inspirational mentor |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/ross-ainslie/ |website=www.sundaypost.com |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=17 February 2022}}</ref>

Ainslie is a founding member of the Celtic fusion group Treacherous Orchestra and a member of Salsa Celtica.<ref name="The Scotsman">{{cite web |last1=Ferguson |first1=Brian |title=Scottish musicians reveal mental health struggles for powerful new film |url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/scottish-musicians-reveal-mental-health-struggles-for-powerful-new-film-3091401 |website=www.scotsman.com |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=11 January 2021}}</ref> He frequently collaborates with fellow piper Ali Hutton, with whom he won Best Duo at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017.<ref name="BBC1">{{cite web |title=The Winners of the 2017 Folk Awards |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/3909674d-ef60-4861-806a-83132f72a126 |website=bbc.co.uk |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gordon Duncan Tribute Pipe Band: Live 'N' Well @ 30 and Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton |url=https://list.co.uk/event/gordon-duncan-tribute-pipe-band-live-n-well-30-and-ross-ainslie-and-ali-hutton-450777 |website=list.co.uk |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=2025}}</ref> As a solo artist, he has released five albums exploring personal and philosophical themes.<ref name="List Danny Munro">{{cite web |last1=Munro |first1=Danny |title=Ross Ainslie on trad music's rising reputation: 'There are so many more young people playing it' |url=https://list.co.uk/news/ross-ainslie-on-trad-musics-rising-reputation-there-are-so-many-more-young-people-playing-it-46497 |website=list.co.uk |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=8 April 2025}}</ref> He is a lecturer in bagpipes at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=BMus (Hons) Traditional Music: Piping |url=https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/ |website=www.rcs.ac.uk |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==

Ainslie was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1983. He began learning the chanter at age eight, initially giving up the instrument before returning to take lessons with tutor Norrie Sinclair. At eleven, he joined the Vale of Atholl Novice Junior Band in Pitlochry, where he came under the mentorship of pipe major Gordon Duncan.<ref name="STMA">{{cite web |last1=Simon |title=MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2025: Ross Ainslie |url=https://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmusicawards/mg-alba-scots-trad-music-awards-2025-ross-ainslie/ |website=Scots Trad Music Awards |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=3 November 2025}}</ref> Duncan's unconventional teaching methods, which included encouraging students to improvise along to rock music and play pipes in fusion settings with guitars and bouzoukis, proved formative for Ainslie's later musical approach.{{cn|date=November 2025}} It was during this period that he formed his musical partnership with Ali Hutton.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McFadyen |first1=Neil |title=Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton: Symbiosis – Feature Review |url=https://klofmag.com/2016/08/ross-ainslie-ali-hutton-symbiosis-review/ |website=klofmag.com |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=23 August 2016}}</ref>

Ainslie studied traditional music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow.<ref name="The Sunday Post 2" /> In 2002, he was a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2002, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall As last year's winner of the inaugural Young Traditional Musician |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12144614.bbc-radio-scotland-young-traditional-musician-2002-glasgow-royal-concert-hall-as-last-years-winner-of-the-inaugural-young-traditional-musician/ |website=heraldscotland.com |publisher=The Herald |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=26 January 2002}}</ref>

== Career ==

Ainslie's musical career spans collaborative projects, solo recordings, live performance and education. His compositional style blends Scottish traditional music with influences from Indian classical music, jazz, rock music and world music traditions, reflecting the mentorship of Gordon Duncan, who was known for placing bagpipes in unconventional musical settings.<ref name="The Sunday Post 2" />

Ainslie co-founded Treacherous Orchestra in 2009, an 11-piece instrumental group that blends traditional Scottish music with rock and punk elements. The band has released two albums: ''Origins'' (2012) and ''Grind'' (2015), with the latter winning Album of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards in 2015. He has also been a member of Salsa Celtica, which fuses Scottish and Irish traditional music with Latin salsa and has toured internationally.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Awbi |first1=Anita |title=Ross Ainslie - Multi-instrumentalist and composer |url=https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/interview-ross-ainslierr |website=prsformusic.com |publisher=PRS for Music |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=2 February 2016}}</ref>

His most frequent collaboration is with Ali Hutton, with whom he has released three ''Symbiosis'' albums (2016, 2018, 2020).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton launch new album at Piping Live! |url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/ross-ainslie-and-ali-hutton-launch-new-album-at-piping-live-1471049 |website=scotsman.com |publisher=The Scotsman |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=30 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton – Travelling Folk Session |url=https://klofmag.com/2018/11/ross-ainslie-ali-hutton-travelling-folk-session/ |website=klofmag.com |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=15 November 2018}}</ref> The duo won Best Duo at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017.<ref name="BBC1" /> Other notable partnerships include recordings with Irish uilleann piper Jarlath Henderson, Scottish smallpiper Brìghde Chaimbeul and English multi-instrumentalist Tim Edey.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Slavin |first1=John |last2=MacKenzie |first2=Chris |title=New album review: LAS – Brìghde Chaimbeul, Ross Ainslie |url=https://bagpipe.news/2022/09/02/new-album-review-las-brighde-chaimbeul-ross-ainslie/ |website=bagpipe.news |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=2 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Rob |title=Brian Finnegan with Ross Ainslie & Tim Edey review — full of exuberance and musical mastery |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/brian-finnegan-with-ross-ainslie-tim-edey-review-full-of-exuberance-and-musical-mastery-fzff8v366 |website=thetimes.com |publisher=The Times |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=24 January 2022}}</ref>

As a solo artist, Ainslie's debut album ''Wide Open'' (2013) incorporated Scottish, Breton, Indian and jazz elements.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kidman |first1=David |title=Ross Ainslie - Wide Open Review |url=https://www.livingtradition.co.uk/webrevs/gwr001cd.htm |website=livingtradition.co.uk |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=2013}}</ref> ''Remembering'' (2015) featured his songwriting and vocals for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Rob |title=Avoiding the pub brings out the songwriter in Ross Ainslie |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/arts_ents/13654956.avoiding-pub-brings-songwriter-ross-ainslie/ |website=heraldscotland.com |publisher=The Herald |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=9 September 2015}}</ref> From 2017, he began a trilogy of concept albums exploring themes of personal healing and self-discovery: ''Sanctuary'' (2017), ''Vana'' (2020), and ''Pool'' (2024).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Rob |title=Review: Ross Ainslie – Sanctuary – (Great White) |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/arts_ents/15901511.review-ross-ainslie---sanctuary---great-white/ |website=heraldscotland.com |publisher=The Herald |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=27 January 2018}}</ref> These later works feature expanded instrumentation including Indian classical instruments and collaborations with jazz and classical musicians. Ainslie's compositions are characterized by strong melodic content and complex, multi-layered arrangements that often move beyond traditional tune structures. Several of his compositions have become popular in traditional music sessions. For live performances, he works with The Sanctuary Band, featuring musicians from Scotland's folk and jazz scenes.<ref name="The Sunday Post 2" />

In addition to performing, Ainslie lectures in bagpipes at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate traditional music programs.<ref>{{cite web |title=RCS - Staff A-Z |url=https://www.rcs.ac.uk/staff-a-z/ |website=rcs.ac.uk |publisher=Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref>

In March 2023, Ainslie gained international media attention when he performed a bagpipe version of Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E." for rapper Snoop Dogg upon his arrival at Glasgow Airport. The performance, which featured Snoop Dogg dancing on the tarmac, went viral on social media and was covered by major news outlets worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tiwari |first1=Vidusha |title=Snoop Dogg welcomed to Scotland with bagpipe version of iconic song |url=https://news.stv.tv/entertainment/snoop-dogg-welcomed-to-glasgow-airport-with-bagpipe-version-of-iconic-song-still-d-r-e |website=stv.tv |publisher=STV |access-date=10 November 2025 |date=16 March 2023}}</ref>

== Awards and recognition ==

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Award !! Category !! Result !! Notes |- | 2013 || BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards || Musician of the Year || {{nom}} || |- | 2014 || BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards || Best Duo || {{nom}} || with Jarlath Henderson |- | 2015 || MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards || Composer of the Year || {{won}} || |- | 2015 || MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards || Album of the Year || {{won}} || for Treacherous Orchestra's ''Grind'' |- | 2016 || BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards || Musician of the Year || {{nom}} || |- | 2017 || BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards || Best Duo || {{won}} || with Ali Hutton |- | 2018 || BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards || Musician of the Year || {{nom}} || |- | 2018 || BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards || Best Duo || {{nom}} || with Ali Hutton |}

== Discography ==

=== Solo albums ===

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Label |- | 2013 || ''Wide Open'' || Great White Records |- | 2015 || ''Remembering'' || Great White Records |- | 2017 || ''Sanctuary'' || Great White Records |- | 2020 || ''Vana'' || Great White Records |- | 2022 || ''Live at the Gorbals'' (with The Sanctuary Band) || Great White Records |- | 2024 || ''Pool'' || Great White Records |}

=== Selected collaborative albums ===

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Collaboration !! Label |- | 2008 || ''Partners in Crime'' || with Jarlath Henderson || |- | 2012 || ''Origins'' || with Treacherous Orchestra || |- | 2013 || ''Air-Fix'' || with Jarlath Henderson || |- | 2015 || ''Grind'' || with Treacherous Orchestra || |- | 2016 || ''Symbiosis'' || with Ali Hutton || |- | 2018 || ''Symbiosis II'' || with Ali Hutton || |- | 2020 || ''Symbiosis III'' || with Ali Hutton || |- | 2022 || ''LAS'' || with Brìghde Chaimbeul and Steven Byrnes || |- | 2023 || ''Diad'' || with Tim Edey || |}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Official website|rossainslie.com}} * [https://www.rcs.ac.uk/bio/ross-ainslie/ Ross Ainslie] at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ainslie, Ross}} Category:Players of Scottish smallpipes Category:Great Highland bagpipe players Category:People from Perthshire Category:Scottish bagpipe players Category:Scottish folk musicians Category:1983 births Category:Living people