City of Angels Pipe Band creates an equitable and inclusive space that welcomes diverse musicians within the international arena of competitive Scottish pipe bands. We develop world class Scottish bagpipe and drum musicians in the Los Angeles area with the goal of inspiring and educating diverse communities who wouldn’t otherwise have access or exposure to these unique art forms.
City of Angels Pipe Band will enrich the lives of its musicians through a commitment to the performance excellence of Scottish bagpipe and drum music, while providing entertainment to audiences within our local community and beyond.
“Pipe bands haven’t always looked like this. We’re ready to change the narrative.”
- Pipe Major Trevor Takahashi
As a freshman marching band clarinetist at Granada Hills Charter High School in the San Fernando Valley, Trevor was introduced to the bagpipes and although reluctant at first, became instantly hooked. He went on to study the art of bagpiping with John McLean Allan and Ian Whitelaw, successfully competing in solo piping contests from Grade 4 up to Grade 2. Trevor joined Pasadena Scottish Pipes & Drums when the band formed in 2006 and traveled to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships with the band in 2009 (Grade 4) and 2011 (Grade 3). In 2012 he became Pipe Sergeant, and took the reins as Pipe Major in 2015. In 2017 Trevor spearheaded the creation of a new Grade 5 band within the Pasadena Scottish Pipes & Drums organization, who placed at the top of the grade in their inaugural year. Most notably, Trevor led the flagship Grade 3 band as Pipe Major to the World Pipe Band Championships in 2018, where the band was named Grade 3B champions. As founding Pipe Major of City of Angels Pipe Band Trevor is committed to sharing the art of bagpiping with diverse communities in the Los Angeles area and developing a multi-tiered organization that allows ongoing musical and leadership growth and development for its musicians.
TREVOR TAKAHASHI [he/him]
PIPE MAJOR
Leilani began their drumming journey as a timpani drum player in pit percussion and worked their way up to marching band snare at Granada Hills Charter High School, and quickly gravitated towards the art of Scottish snare drumming in the school pipe band program as a freshman. They quickly excelled at learning the intricacies of the Scottish snare musical style and served as Drum Sergeant of the Granada Hills Charter High School Pipe Band from 2008 to 2012. In 2014 Leilani joined Pasadena Scottish Pipes & Drums where they studied with world-class snare drummer and Drum Sergeant of Pasadena Scots, Glenn Kvidahl. Leilani and the Pasadena Scots drum corps rapidly developed into a nearly undefeated corps in the Grade 3 pipe band circuit in Southern California. Additionally, they also quickly rose through the ranks, from Grade 5 up to Grade 2, of the solo drumming circuit within two years. In 2018 Leilani traveled to Scotland for the first time to play in the World Pipe Band Championships with Pasadena Scots and was an integral part of the first place win earned by the band. When Pasadena Scots established a Grade 5 band in 2017 Leilani was named Drum Sergeant of this new band and developed an entire corps of new drummers into an undefeated new corps. Further, they coached one of their students into the new Drum Sergeant of the Grade 5 band and took on an instructor role in the Grade 5 band.
LEILANI LUCAS [they/them]
DRUM SERGEANT
