Neil Smith, Iain MacDonald, John Forster Charlton
Neil Smith of Newcastle, England, is a well-known Northumbrian smallpiper and protege of John Forster Charlton (see below) who has ensured that this strong connection continues unbroken today. A devotee of Czech folk and classical music, Smith is a regular visitor to folk festivals in the Czech Republic, where he is an audience favorite, and he has become like his predecessor a much-loved figure in Strakonice.
Iain MacDonald is the leader of Scotland’s Neilston District Pipe and Drum Band and a famed bagpipe educator, as well as a highler regarded musician himself on all varietes of West European bagpipes, including the world-famous Highland marching pipes. He is also a festival veteran, having attended the Strakonice festival regularly since 1978.
John Forster Charlton, also from Newcastle, was perhaps the most important and influential of the visitors drawn to Strakonice. A bagpipe virtuoso and authority on the Northumbrian small pipes, Professor Charlton was the first festival guest from Western Europe to forge a connection to the town of Strakonice. This led to his being adopted by the people of Strakonice as a beloved foreign mascot who attended every festival until his death in 1989. Charlton can be seen with fellow Northumbrian piper Colin Ross and a team of rapper sword dancers from Northumbria.