Freddy Santana MacKinlay

Composer and multi-instrumentalist musician

Started Highland Dancing in the early 1990s at the South American Piping Association (aka as SAPA Pipe Band) but retired in 2000 to devote fully to the great highland bagpipe.

Freddy started learning the pipes at the age of 5 under his father’s tuition, Guillermo Santana MacKinlay.

Became a piper of the SAPA Pipe Band at the age of 11 (1996).

Bagpipe Instructor since 2000 (within SAPA from 2000, and outside of SAPA since 2004)

Founding member of the Scottish Pipe Band Association (2004), and one of SAPA's Representative since that year.

Bagpipe Instructor at Escuela de Música Celta de Buenos Aires (2004-2005).

Studied music at the Escuela de Música de Buenos Aires EMBA (2007-2009).

Competed as a soloist at the Shamrock Cup in Uruguay in 2011 (1st Place Overall), 2012 (1st Place Overall), 2013 (1st Place Overall), 2014 (2nd Place Overall), 2015 (1st Place Overall) and 2017 (1st Overall); and the SAPA Cup in all editions (obtaining several 1st places). Freddy also competed in the Spring 2021 World Online Piping & Drumming Championships.

Pipe Major of SAPA Pipe Band (2011-2015, 2018-2020 and 2022 till present).

As a musician he has been involved in different groups such as SAPA Pipe Band, Ceòlraidh Gaelic choir, Scottish folk group Fingal, the Asturian pipe band Conjunto Pelayo del Centro Asturiano de Buenos Aires, Irish & Scottish folk band The Oxers + The Border Reivers, and several other ‘ad hoc’ proyects.

You can listen to Freddy playing in several recordings of music groups such as Coro Avalon, Skiltron, Los Pericos, Os Druidas, SAPA Pipe Band, The Oxers + The Border Reivers and El Plan de la Mariposa.

Freddy received tuition in Tenor Drumming from instructor Taylor Page (Page Percussion) during 2019.

SPBASA Music Officer since 2022.