Micah Babinski is a piper, whistle player, and mandolinist based in Portland, Oregon. He is one of the foremost competitive highland pipers in the Pacific Northwest, a recognized leader in the folk piping movement, and is among the best-known composers of bagpipe music in the United States.

Born in Oakland, California, Micah first heard bagpipes in preschool at age five, finding them instantly enthralling. While attending a historical reenactment on a family visit to Detroit, Michigan, Micah encountered a regimental pipe band and got up the courage to approach the pipers in the band. The pipers generously showed Micah their instruments, explained how they worked, and encouraged Micah to start playing. Buoyed by their kindness and his excitement for piping, Micah appealed to his parents to help him find a bagpipe teacher. They obliged, and Micah took his first piping lesson shortly after his ninth birthday with Liza MacAdam, an outstanding piper (and Scottish side drummer) from the Highlands of Scotland living halfway around the world in the San Francisco Bay. It was with Liza that Micah began to absorb the discipline, technique, and love of piping.

After relocating to the Pacific Northwest with his family, Micah began lessons with Canadian-born piper Laurie MacKenzie. Under Laurie’s instruction, Micah gained confidence, skill, and began competing successfully in amateur piping contests. Laurie also introduced Micah to piobaireachd, the classical music of the highland pipes. Micah subsequently began lessons with champion piper Jori Chisholm, a top solo and band piper and the innovator behind bagpipelessons.com.

With Jori’s tutelage, Micah progressed to the top of amateur piping, winning North America’s top amateur piping competition, the George Sherriff Memorial Invitational in Toronto, Ontario, in 2006. In 2007 Micah became an Open/Professional-level solo competitor and joined the World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band based outside Vancouver, British Columbia.

At age 14 Micah composed Afternoon at the Green Monster, an innovative four-part hornpipe that is often considered among the best modern hornpipes in piping history. It is the only contemporary tune under the “Most Popular” section of Jack Lee’s bagpipemusic.com, and is played globally by soloists, bands, fiddlers, and other instrumentalists. This success accelerated Micah’s creativity and gave him widespread recognition as a composer.

As a band player, Micah has played with three Grade 1 bagpipe bands including the Prince Charles Pipe Band of San Francisco, the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band of Vancouver, and the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band. In addition to a number of performances and competitive successes at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, he performed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics with the Triumph Street Pipe Band. He also played for a time with Tartanic – one of the most successful music acts on the Renaissance Fair circuit. Four of his tracks are featured on their popular album Tartanic – Universal.

In 2014 Micah established his folk group Dram & Go, which went on to produce two studio albums and performed at festivals, pubs, and events through the Pacific Northwest. Micah continues to be a leading player of bellows-blown pipes in the Northwest, and complements these folk music skills with mandolin and whistle. He offers instruction on this style of playing to students both locally and online.

Today, Micah is once again a prize-winning professional solo competitor, composer, and ceilidh/folk musician. He plays in the Grade 2 Cascadia Pipe Band, teaches lessons, and continues to break new ground as a composer. His debut tune book, The Green Monster Collection, was released in 2025.